Split(3): Break These Chains
by ShadeSlayerFox
Summary: Naruto finds himself living amongst a group of misfits. The only thing preventing their demise is himself and a horned girl he knew years ago in a little orphanage. Naruto desperately attempts to get the girl to remember her past and helping this group with its problems as crazed scientist and even the military come after the group will Naruto come to their defense.
1. The Great Escape

Larry, an average male worker of twenty three, sat in front of the pathetically dull screen as he monitored security for the research facility. He had been promoted from useless guard to useless camera monitor. He sighed at the boring atmosphere of the room. He turned to his silent partner Bill, an elderly man sixty five who would be retiring tomorrow his birthday having been today. "Don't you wish something exciting would happen?" He said half expecting to see the old coot unconscious in his chair. He screamed in fright however when he saw the old mans head decapitated and lying next to the chair that held the rest of the elderly man. Larry began to hyperventilate, but quickly remembered the alarm button on the console and moved to press it. He soon discovered however that that wasn't a good idea when his hand was chopped off. "Nice try kid." the black garbed assailant that had both killed Bill and removed Larry's right hand. "However that would not be helpful for me if I had a hundred faceless guards on my ass, so yeah." He quickly stabbed the male straight through his heart. "P.S: Do be careful what you wish for." the ninja removed his mask revealing his spiky blond hair, rippled eyes, and whisker mark like scars on his cheeks. Naruto moved silently to the console quickly flipping through the cameras in order to find his target. It didn't take long however before he did just that. He quickly replaced his mask, jumped through the air vent he had used to enter room. Behind him laid the two bodies of two innocent bystanders. He crawled along the vent determined to complete his personal objective. He opened a vent dropping to the floor, however he quickly moved as the guards in the room quickly opened fire on the blond ninja. He dodged lazily, just barely moving his body out of the way of their bullets. The two shot with little worry of wasting their ammo and were eventually forced to stop their assault on the immediate danger to them. They stared at the blond in silent fear "That all you got" the ninja said with a blood thirsty grin. "Then looks like your..." He couldn't finish his sentence before Jerry, who happened to be related to the recently deceased Larry and known for his anger problems, lunged at the blond and swung his ammo less pistol at the blonds head. The gun shattered on impact. "...Your dead." Naruto finished and the grunt ripped out of his body courtesy of Naruto's hand. Jerry fell dead and would be going to hell with his cousin Larry, where Satan would force him to frolic down a yellow brick road in a dress, for all eternity. Naruto turned his gaze onto the last of the guards. The guard, who had already soiled himself, slowly backed away coming within the range of the prisoner he was guarding. He was bisected quickly by an invisible force then few could see. Lucky for Naruto, he could. The now dead guard lay in a pool of blood, his keys slipped from his pocket, floated through the air, and into the lock by seetheral hands that had sprouted from the victim. Naruto smirked as the prisoner fell from her suspended prison and collapsed to floor on shaky legs. Naruto grinned at the naked female, not in a lecherous way but in the way a child would when he found a toy that had been lost. He moved forward only for the metal masked and naked female to attack him with her vectors, the name that had been used to describe diclonius telekinetic abilities. Naruto jumped out of her range. "So nice to see you again Kaede, its been too long." The female directed her gaze however Naruto could not decipher her expression due to the metal covering on her face. Naruto sighed at their situation, he took another step forward only for her to once again slice at him. Naruto stepped back narrowly dodging the hand. "Five that's your limit isn't it." He said and dodged a speeding key, that was moving faster than most bullets had hopes of traveling at. Naruto stared at the girl in slight amazement. "Projectile weapons... you've learned a lot since we last saw each other Kaede, or do you prefer Lucy now." He said, Lucy/Kaede slung the corpse of the closest body at Naruto only for him to disappear. Lucy/Kaede looked around the room foggy memories of a blond going through her mind. She slowly got up onto her wobbly legs and slowly walked from the room into the hall, slicing any force that attempted to stop her from reaching her freedom.

Naruto followed behind the pink haired diclonius watching as she sliced, decapitated, tore, and in rare cases castrated the guards that would attept to halt her advances. She bisected one guard from the crotch up, causing Naruto to wince. 'That's fourteen' Naruto thought as Lucy/Kaede brutally slaughtered her assailants. Naruto following her every step of the way. Lucy/Kaede opened door only for her way to be blocked by another group of guards and amongst them Kurama the second in command of the research of the facility was amongst them. Naruto and Lucy/Kaede mentally snarled at the man. It was a standoff Lucy/Kaede vs. her oppressors, not a single person moved. Except for a ditsy brunette who happened to stumble between the group...literally. She sat up, completely oblvious to the bloodthirsty super human behind her, and attempted to clean up the mess she had caused when she dropped a cup of coffee she'd been delivering. She saw her superior, who was trying to warn her to get away from the diclonious. "I'm so sorry Mr. Kurama sir, I'll just clean this up and..." her head was violently ripped off by Lucy. Naruto grimaced at the sight, while he had seen/caused similar murders he had seen something lik that happen to someone like that since he'd lived in Konoha. Kurama order the men to fire and Lucy/Kaede reacted as well. She quickly grabbed the girls body and used it as a meat shield. The bullets flew, but only managed to pierce the body of the young female. The gunman kept firing, making Naruto worry about their intelligence, and quickly ran out of bullets. One man realized that they were hopeless and ran forward with his knife hoping beyond hope that he could manage to kill this woman. He didn't even get close. Lucy/Kaede reared back her vectors and punch the soldier so hard and so precise that his heart flew out of his body, and into the lap of another soldier, before he collapsed dead. The guards freaked out attempting to scramble for the exit, but only managed to be sliced to pieces by Lucy's/Kaede's vectors. Gore and crimson flew around the room leaving only Kurama and Naruto unharmed from her furious attack. All was still, not a movement occurred. Even their breathing had stopped for a haunting moment, then Lucy/Kaede walked past Kurama. She didn't even give him her attention, as though he were an insignificant bug despite the promise of retribution. Kurama felt his anger spring up, for the first time in a long time of being entirely apathetic. Naruto grinned as she exited the building. Naruto jumped from the shadows revealing his presence to the enraged Kurama. He walked slowly, clapping as he slowly approached the humble man. "Wow, you pissed her off didn't you." Naruto said "But I guess telling her that the only human she truly gave a damn about, since Khota and I, was killed. I'd bet she would want to kill you and everyone involved." Kurama's eyes widened. "How..." Naruto punched him in the jaw, breaking it. His eyes had turned cold and he unleashed a small dosage of killing intent, causing Lucy/Kaede who was over half mile away to halt any movement as she felt the utter urge to kill, her inner voice screaming for her to destroy whatever was producing the aura. Naruto slammed the injured man into the wall by his throat, causing a smell dent to form in the metal wall. "You don't get to talk today, last time I allowed that it got a little girl killed, a girl kidnapped and imprisoned, and I was nearly killed. Ring a bell Kurama. You fucked up big time you piece of shit." He threw him across the room so hard that it left friction burns as he skidded along the floor until he as stopped the decapitated body of his secretary. Naruto approached his unconscious body. "I do have to thank you though. Your interference caused my body to once again produce chakra." Naruto turned, leaving Kurama, and pursued after Lucy/Kaede. Unknown to both Naruto and Lucy/Kaede that Kurama had a contingency plan in case the Diclonious queen escaped. Naruto caught up quickly to the girl who was only moments away from her freedom. Naruto quickly caught up to the girl, his plan had almost went along perfectly.

However a kink would lodge itself in Naruto's plan. A force so powerful that even Naruto couldn't have stopped it. Fate had once again shown its head to screw Naruto over once more. On the third floor of the Facility stood a masked man in his hands he held a Sniper rifle, its sights aimed at the back of the diclonious skull. He finger gently hovering over the trigger that could very much take out the titan for good. His brown eyes held no mercy as the gunpowder ignited sending the bullet on it merry way to end the females life. Lucy's/Kaede's head turned toward the noise just in time for the helmet she had worn to take the brunt of the blow. The attack however didn't leave the girl unscathed she was knocked unconscious immediately and for the helmet to disengage from her skull. She fell from the cliff edge in a broken heap. Naruto's eyes widened. Chakra instinctively flowed through his muscles as he rushed toward the cliff edge in a useless attempt to save the girls life. Without a thought he threw himself from the cliff and into the icy depths of the ocean.


	2. Helicopter blades

Naruto staggered onto a nearby beach. His nights search through the ocean in his search for the female diclonius had yielded no fortune other than the many aches he would be feeling for the rest of the day. Naruto fell flat on the sand inhaling breath after breath. Last nights activities would have been excellent endurance training however Naruto had no urge to reattempt to swim all night in freezing cold waters during high tide. While his chakra had been regained long ago his endurance had suffered and while he trained physically since then it had not made much of a difference, whether this was because of him or not was something could not determine. His stomach growled stifling his thoughts. He smirked, a meal didn't sound like a bad idea.

Naruto walked through town looking amongst the local shops in search of an ideal restaurant. He walked by multiple ramen bars but resisted the constant temptation to eat the delicacy that the servers would no doubt serve him. Ever since his arrival to this dimension he had eaten ramen sparingly. His immune system had slowly begun to deteriorate to normal standards and had forced him to change his general diet. Naruto walked amongst the shops for some time eventually find his way into a small bakery. In front of him stood a small girl beside was a little dog which obviously thought of the girl as his master, he had cover his nose because of the stench that wafted off the girl in waves. Naruto could immediately tell that the girl hadn't bathed in some time. She received a bag of bread crumbs from the woman at the counter. The girl thanked the woman for the bag of scraps before she rushed out of the store. The following a small distance behind. Naruto approached the counter his eyes trailing after the young girl, Naruto could easily tell the girl was on her own and most likely homeless. The woman noticed his looks both concerned by his blatant interest in the child. "Does she come here often?" Naruto asked genuinely concerned for the girls situation. His situation in Konoha had been much similar if not worse in some cases, but Naruto knew that females had certain weaknesses that men did not have. "Why do you ask?" The woman asked trying to gauge his intentions. Naruto stared at the woman understanding exactly what her concerns were. "She appears to be homeless." He said. The woman played wth her nails "That obvious, and yes she does come here often, we give her the bread crumbs." She said "She says they're for the dog, but I think there for both of them." Naruto nodded before he ordered two large loaves of bread. It was only a couple minutes before the warm bread sat on the counter and waiting to be consumed. Naruto quickly paid the woman before leaving the shop and easily tracking the girl. Her sent had literally saturated the air, so he let his nose guide him to the young girl and her lone companion.

It hadn't taken him long to find the girl. Her sent had ironically leaded him back to the coast. He found her in an industrial container at a small storage facility. He watched her for some time, instantly noticing that she would feed the dog far more from the bag than herself. He smiled at the kindness that the girl displayed. In this doomed world he rarely found a honest human being. His eyes crinkled in concern 'why wasn't wearing a skirt or pants' he thought 'and why hasn't anyone else noticed.' The girl didn't seem special she released the same amount of energy as any other human, what made this girl any different from the average human, except for her kindness their wasn't anything that should have set her apart. but Naruto couldn't help but allow his attention to be drawn to the child, maybe it was due to to sharing similar backgrounds. Naruto moved around the corner and sat down. He peeled off a piece of the bread throwing it within sight of the two and quickly hid around the corner and out of sight. The dog, eager to please his master, jumped at the opportunity to get them some food. He quickly intercepted the chunk of bread causing the young girl to follow him. She kneeled down to retrieve the fresh bread that the dog had offered him. "Sup" Naruto called. She jumped slightly at the voice. She looked for him only to find him sitting next to another container eerily similar to her own. He held out a full loaf of bread to the girl "I thought you might be hungry, so I thought 'I should get her some food' and so I did." She hesitated in her approach. Naruto couldn't blame the girl, he figured something had happened to cause the girl to be apprehensive. He pulled a small piece off and ate it, showing the girl that it was not poisoned. He placed on the floor beside him and slid away from the morsel. The girl approached the bread, sat, and began to eat occasionally feeding the small dog. Naruto let his gaze linger on the girl, not in a pervert fashion. His gaze was, more accurately, the way a brother would watch a younger sibling. It didn't take long for the loaf to be ravenously eaten by the young child. Naruto stared at the girl for a moment before he handed her the other loaf. She took it gratefully and began to eat. Naruto glanced at the girl waiting for her to speak. Time past and the girl approached the end of her small meal. Naruto, knowing she was unlikely to speak spoke first. "How long has it been since you ate a decent meal?" He asked. The girls eyes popped up and glanced at the blond. She glanced down in shame "Not to long, sir" She said. Naruto stared at the girl, knowing that she was lying. It was obvious that she didn't want him to know she was homeless, possibly because she didn't want to be taken to the local authorities. "You know something funny. I was in a similar position when I was your age." He said gaining the attention from the girl. "Orphaned and alone. The one friend I had was taken from me in some twisted plot Kami constructed to only make the situation worse." The girl stared at the man who had obviously figured out she was homeless or had figured she had run from home. He glanced at the girl "Whatever reason you had for not going to the police must be a good one for you to stay out here in the conditions your in. If you need help..." He gave her tri-headed kunai "...just throw this at your feet and I'll be there in an instant." The girl looked at the weapon he had given her in wonder at its intricate design. She looked up at the stranger in wonder only to find him missing. She looked about only for the dog to nudge her leg, she looked down to see a wallet and a note in the blond puppies mouth. She petted him only for him to jump into her lap. She grabbed the treasures from the dogs jaw and quickly read the note

_I noticed that your current life style is a bit lacking. I've left you enough money to last you for several days, so I'd advise you get a shower, an actual meal and maybe some food for the dog that is constantly following you. Since your unwilling to go to anyone for help then at least get yourself a hotel room for a couple day, and remember only a throw away._

_With Best wishes,_

_Maelstrom_

The girl scavenged through the wallet immediately finding enough money to easily support them for several months. Tears of happiness fell from her face only for the dog to lick them off her face. She giggled "Come on Wanta lets go get you some food."

Naruto smiled as the young girl scampered off with the dog in tow. He had given every ounce of spare cash that he had on hand, it wouldn't matter however. If he was ever n desperate need for anything of monetary value then he could easily steal whatever he would need. His stomach growled at the thought, he deadpanned when he realized that he had forgotten the exact reason he had entered town in the first place 'One little girl needs my help, so I drop everything to help' He thought 'I'm such a sap' He smiled as he remember the pink haired girl he had befriended at one insignificant orphanage. Helicopter blades ripped through air immediately alerting Naruto to its presence, he had never appreciated the noisy machinery that had been made by humanity. he cast a glance over his shoulder to see an unmarked helicopter dropping off troops at the beach. Naruto narrowed his eyes. Looks like he was right and Kaede had made it to sore, bad news was that Kakuzawa knew she was here as well and hadn't hesitated to mount a squad to capture the young diclonius queen. Naruto glared at the troops he'd cut them down and he'd make sure that any threat to the girl he had failed would never be threatened by any force that this planet could ever produce.


	3. Collateral

Naruto glared at the upward propelling vessel. The diclonius research facility wouldn't let go of the Kaede, and their attempts to regain there prize would lead to many innocents being put in harms way. The SAT forces had been deployed and knowing Kakuzawa, he had alerted the local police to Kaede. Naruto sighed everything had been so complicated. He needed to find her fast and the only way that could happen would be to follow the local militia... or better yet. Naruto grinned sadistically and disappeared as his cell hit super sonic speeds.

Bando wasn't having a good day. His one chance to actually kill something had been squandered because of dumb luck, that dumb bitch had survived and he couldn't allow that stain on his reputation remain alive. "Bando! Are you paying attention!" The squad leader yelled at the arrogant soldier. Bando stood up and walked to the back of the 'copter. "Look I know how this goes, its hunt or be hunted." He said "Drop me off."

The helicopter made three consecutive drop off, a small platoon being left at each, something that Naruto didn't hesitate too take advantage of. He moved in on the second group in a flash of speed easily stabbing the first man, but he couldn't prevent him from shooting off several bullets immediately alerting the other three soldiers. "Ah Shit." Naruto proclaimed immediately flipping the now dead officer in front of him. The bullets penetrating its flesh. They kept firing, causing Naruto to once again question their intelligence. A grenade rolled near him causing him to abandon the body and jump from the inevitable blast and get shot by several bullets. He grunted in pain, but that wasn't even close to being enough to taking him down. The grenade went off destroying the corpse and sending up a cloud of sand concealing Naruto from view. "Shit!" of the officers bellowed "Don't let the target escape. Shoot with no hesitation." Naruto smirked with a blood thirsty grin as he got an idea. Sometimes he was so thankful for his rinnegan. "So many choices" Naruto's voice rang out from all directions making it impossible to pinpoint his location. The soldiers began to sweat bullets. "kidney, brain, heart, spine, jugular, liver, subclavical artery, and the lungs. The questions is which do I use on you three." One couldn't handle the stress. He aimed in a random direction and fired hoping to kill the target. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH" He screamed waisting his clip. He would have kept firing, but his commanding officer had luckily stopped the erratic waste of ammo. "Stephen!" He ripped the weapon out of his grip. "Stay calm, if you lose your cool the we're fucking dead!" Stephen looked at his captain with shame and a sense of wonder at how he could stay calm in a position like this. "Jameson can you..." The captain stopped when he noticed that their third member, who we now know as Jameson, was missing. "Oh dear." The captain stated knowing the man was most likely dead. "Stephen protect my flank, we can't let he kill us. Can we?" He said expecting an immediate 'Yes sir' however no response was made. "Stephen?" The captain turned to his subordinate to see him facing the opposite direction. "Stephen!" He repeated once more placing his hand on the other mans shoulder, only for Stephen to collapse in a heap. The captain flipped him over only to gasp in horror. The corpse had its face ripped off revealing only the muscle. His skewered tongue had been jammed into the back of his throat stopping and his throat sliced open in order to prevent any sound from escaping before he died and his eyes had been ripped from there sockets. The captains carefully composed emotions immediately crumbled as any shred of pride left his body as his soiled himself. "YOU FUCKER." The captain screamed mounting his gun and tried to aim for wherever his target would appear. "COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN." He heard movement and immediately wasted his clip in direction of the sound. It was only a shell that had been shattered, and his panic had caused him to make a rash mistake, that intern left him defenseless except for his combat knife. "Heh you don't get it do you." Naruto called. The captain was sliced in half. "Your already dead." The captain looked up at the blond. Naruto looked down at the dying man with disdain. "You know what, I'm going to make you a deal. I'm going to ask you a question and if you answer correctly then I'll heal you and let you go. If you answer wrong well...you die, kinda obvious really. Nod your head if you understand." The captain nodded. "Good, here's your question..."

The captain smoked a cigar on board the nearby chopper. He puffed out several smoke rings masterfully telling of how the man had smoked for years and had perfected its skill. Beside him sat a radio for the soldiers to contact him. Static filled the room. "Beta team to base!" A gasping voice came over the radio. The captain quickly extinguished his nicotine filled death stick. "Go ahead" The captain said. "I'm the only one left sir the rest are KIA. Target possibly the cause, requesting rendezvous." The captain stared off into space, worry clearing written on his face. "Granted. Bandos team is severely undermanned. rendezvous at these coordinates." He quickly told him the coordinates of were Bando was on standby and observing the possible target. "Roger that." The captain sat back in his chair, as he realized that they may be over their heads, if a single person could easily take out most of a team and only leave one alive on a whim. He re-lit his cigar and inhaled the calming the smoke of the nicotine enhanced death stick

Bando crouched next the his only partner that had bother to jump from the chopper when he set out on 'his' hunt. This time there would be no mistakes, no flukes, and no more chances, this time she would die. he heard a noise behind him. He grabbed his gun and quickly aimed between the eyes of the assassin. He sighed when he only saw another of the SAT fodder. Bando turned his eyes back to his target, not even bothering to listen to the dull explanation the beta captain was currently giving to why he was there. His attention was focused on the pink haired girl. A young man walked up to the girl trying to get her to leave the beach. Bando smirked when he saw the two identical horns on the top of her head. The man started dragging her towards urbanized civilization. Bando let loose several bullets at the two. None of the bullet hit the two, but it did clearly leave the message, don't move. The brown haired student looked toward the three, fear clearly shown in his eyes. Bando steadily walked towards the civilians, his two partners close behind. The man looked at the three with fear. "What are you doing?" Bando didn't even bother to answer before he clubbed him the back of the head with his weapon hard enough to knock him over, but not to knock him out. "NYU!" The pink haired diclonious screamed as she tried to help the fallen man. "Hey Satoh, we have the clear to kill any witnesses. "N-no those aren't the orders. We'd have to call HQ before that was decide." The fallen man looked up at the armed men and gulped. The beta team captains eyes widened at the the sight of the man. "D-dead?" he questioned. Bando licked his lips in anticipation. "Dead dumb ass, do I have to spell out for you. I pull the trigger the beach turns red and you turn dead." He aimed the barrel of the weapon at the man's head. His finger ready to pull the trigger in a moments notice. The beta member knocked Bando's barrel upward destroying his chance of killing the man and quickly bashed him against the skull knocking him out. Beta captain glared at Bando who snarl in rage at someone breaking 'his' shot. "Civilians are not to be killed." the captain stated with a firm glare daring Bando to cross him. Bando snarled quickly and attempted to aim at the younger male. The barrel was easily caught and a knife placed at Bando's neck. "Do we have an understanding?" He questioned. Bando sighed angrily "Fine." The captain released his grip and allowed him control over his arsenal. Bando glared at the pink haired girl. "This is almost too easy." he said grinning lecherously "Let's have some fun." he grabbed her and dragged her towards one of the nearby industrial storage area's.

Bando threw the young woman through a group of crates easily shattering the boxes and wounding the girl. Beta captain glared at the middle aged mercenary. He looked at Sahto "I have a question." Sahto looked at the man with slight curiosity. "Yes," The beta team captain looked at the man with utter seriousness. "Why are you out here fighting." Sahto gave the captain a confused glance. "I don't understand, my captain ordered to find whatever threat that's out here, so it honestly doesn't matter why I'm out here." the other man looked at him sorrowfully. "I was worried you'd say that." The beta member halted his movement and the other two men walked forward. He drew his pistol and aimed at the back of Sahto's head. He halted his action when Bando threw the girl at several crates. "What the hell are you doing!" The captain yelled. Bando ignored the man and sighed "This is boring, it can't possibly be our target." He said "Kill her Sahto." Sahto eyes widened and the beta member glared at the current captain. "But sir, our orders..." Bando drew his gun and aimed it between the younger members eyes easily terrifying him. "Damn the orders, if you don't kill her then I'll kill you too and then I'll kill her." Sahto gulped nervously "Am I clear." Sahto nodded quickly and walked towards the fallen girl. He aimed the gun at her skull. "I'm sorry." he said. The beta captain pulled his gun from his holster and aimed at the back of Sahto's head ready to pull the trigger and end the soldiers life. He was too slow, because in that instant the innocent and naive girl that Bando had been dragging around and beating for the past half hour reverted to the demoness that she had been before her head wound. Sahto was cut in half. The other men's eyes widened before a lone telekinetic arm rushed from the debris and towards the beta captain. Normally he could have easily dodged the vectors, but her attack was unexpected, so he did the only thing he could do. He braced for impact. The psychic fist connected and threw him through several crates and over a hundred feet in the opposite direction. "Well looks like this bitch has some fight in her after all." Lucy stood from the wreckage in her full glory, she glared at the male that dared to attack her.

The captain inhaled and exhaled in a repetitive sequence of events, over and over again until his cigar was reaching the end of its life and he would be forced to grab another from the container on his desk to sate his overwhelming addiction. "Alpha team to base." a voice came over the radio just it had earlier that night. "Go ahead." He said in depressive monotone. "Sir, we recovered the beta team bodies as was instructed and are ready to document the wounds on the four bodies as instructed." The base captains eyes widened "I'm sorry could you repeat that, I think I may have heard you wrong." The alpha team captain repeated as instructed and the fears of the base captain were realized. "Alpha team head to team Bando's location. The target has infiltrated our ranks." He said "Sir, yes sir." and the Alpha captain gathered his platoon and rushed for team Bando's last known location. The base captain sighed "I bet your wishing you had brought more men with you now, don't you Bando." He chuckled darkly. He took the radio and called the team of Anthropologist's and warned them of the four bodies that they would be studying and that they should be prepared to preserve the bodies for an more in depth study once they got back to HQ. He reached into the cigar box in hopes for another calm whiff of the addictive substances. His hands felt nothing as he scavenged through the box. He frowned. "Well damn, what else could go wrong." He immediately regretted saying that.

The Beta team captains mask was in tatters and showed his head full of blond hair and rinnegan eyes. He frowned and removed what little fabric that was covering his face. He shook his head and got rid of most of the dust that had collected from his crash into the numerous inanimate objects. He coughed and crawled from the wreckage clutching his side the entire time. He smirked 'seems Kaede had gotten much stronger since we lost saw each other.' His broken ribs quickly healed and he stretch slightly to pop the bones in his back into place. He heard crashes coming from the battle that was going on between the two titans that had decided that he shouldn't be allowed to fight in their duel. A boat flew through the air towards the air in the direction of the blond. He side stepped the vessel. 'Yeah, definitely stronger." he strolled towards the battle which would end very soon no doubt. He arrived to find battered body of Bando and Kaede standing above the man, ready to end the blinded mans life. "Hello Kaede, its been less than a day and your already causing chaos it seems." The girl looked up at the blond man. "...Naruto..." She questioned before she grasped her head in pain. Naruto grew concerned and immediately rushed to the injured girl. He grabbed her shoulders and steadied the girl. She looked up at him with large innocent eyes, tears streamed down her face as she said word that was entirely foreign to the blond "Nyu!" She cried. Naruto's eye brows shout up. "Wait what?" Kaede had reverted back to her Nyu persona. She looked down at Bando and immediately grew frightened. She shook out of Naruto's grasp and ran away accidentally dropping the shell she have digging for most of the night for. Naruto ran after the girl, but not before he grabbed the shell that had dropped. Bando laid there in a pool of his blood. His life essence was quickly leaving and he felt delirious panic over come his body.

Mayu had gone back to the storage area. She didn't mind though, she had grown used to it since she had run away from home. It seemed that despite the blond haired mans kindness that she would once again sleep out in the cold, it seemed that most inns didn't allow animals and she had no urge to leave the pup that had accompanied her ever since she met him and named him Wanta. She looked out at the beach and spotted something that would startle her for many years to come. She rushed on to the beach and found the recently crippled man. "Oh god" she cried "Let me get you help." She quickly wrapped up his arm in a hastily created tourniquet and rushed to call for an ambulance. Alpha team showed up moments later and quickly grabbed Sahto and Bando's bodies and rushed back to the chopper in order to get the dying man medical assistance. Mayu returned, but found the man gone and a small umbrella laying on the beach with an address printed on the handle.

Naruto stood under a small awning with the silent diclonious next to him. She had begun shivering and Naruto had immediately given the girl the jacket to wear. She had attempted to put in on but only resulted in putting it on inside out and backwards. Naruto glanced at the girl worriedly. This was nothing like Kaede and that's what worried him. The two sat there for about an hour as time slowly passed. Naruto glanced up to see the same brown haired boy that he had knocked out at the beach to preserve the boys life. He stared at the two for some time, in surprise. Nyu looked up from the stone steps and saw the boy. She lifted her hand expecting to feel the sea shell she had found earlier in her palm, but only discovered that it was missing. Tears came to her eyes and Naruto noticed immediately. He pulled the shell from his pocket and gave it to the heart broken girl, and as he suspected, her mood brightened almost immediately and she held out the shell to the boy. Upon seeing the shell he fell to his knees and hugged to girl. Naruto looked at the boy and girl with a slight pain in his heart. The boy looked up from the girl and at the blond. "Thank you for getting her home." He said. "Come inside its pouring out here, you can get home in the morning." Naruto smiled at the boy thankfully, and the three went inside the Maple House. "So what your name" the male asked. Naruto glanced at the boy "Naruto, you?" The boy grinned "I'm Kohta."


	4. Radar

In a strange sequence of events Naruto had found himself temporary asylum in the old inn that was currently in Kohta's possession. Naruto had found himself walking through room after dusty room, with the diclonious woman and brown haired male. "Pretty nice place, you might need to dust a little though."

Naruto joked with the brown haired boy who groaned exaggeratedly. "I've been cleaning all day." Naruto chuckled at the boy. Kaede had giggled slightly and dragged Kohta off into one of the other rooms screaming 'Nyu' over and over again as though it was some foreign language that she expected everyone else to understand.

Naruto's gaze followed the girl warily. His fear was not in her dormant powers, but in the random personality swap she had displayed earlier that night. The girl had done a one eighty from a savage woman into that of an innocent and naive little girl. He was beginning to think that the girl was bipolar.

She urged Kohta to box the sea shell, that she had delivered him, just as he had carefully done with the other. Kohta smiled at the girl and placed the shell with the fragments of its predecessor in the box. Nyu sneezed cutely causing him to worry for the girls health. He wasn't paranoid, but considering her digging at the beach in the pouring rain all night didn't benefit her health in anyway.

She was bound to get pneumonia or at least a cold. "Hey Naruto do you think you get Nyu some extra clothes, their in the room across the hall. I'm going to try and get her changed, she doesn't seem to be able to do it herself." Naruto nodded and left the room. He walked across the hall 'Calling her by the one word she is constantly speaking, not very creative, but it works at least.'

He thought 'I guess his memory loss is far more extensive than I had expected. I would think he could at least remember Kaede. That doesn't seem to be the case though.' Ever since the accident with Kohta's family Naruto had kept some tabs on him. When his amnesia had been discovered he withdrew his resources from watching over the boy, figuring it would be kinder to leave the boy be, and focusing on locating Kaede and retrieving her from her captors.

He entered the room and quickly scavenged through the closet and grabbed several articles of clothing including an appropriate bra and a pair of modest panties. He chuckled as memories of him and Kaede running from place to place flooded his thoughts. He often had to get them both clothes or Kaede would stride around in the nude. The girl had lost her sense of modesty when she realized that constantly washing the bloodstains from her clothes were a constant hindrance.

Naruto was drawn back to reality when the he heard the door open with a soft click. He opened the door to the parlor, fearing that another group of SAT soldiers had discovered Kaede's location, he found a short haired brunette woman trying to sneak into the home. Naruto recognized the girl but only barely, she was the girl that was accompanying Kohta at that carnival all those years ago. 'So this is his cousin, she's grown into quite the woman.' he thought, he'd never forget the girl that had made Kaede snap, he didn't blame the girl however her being here easily made his job even more of a hindrance though.

He opened the door catching the girls attention. The girl reached for a weapon but only grabbed an umbrella from the large stock that sat next to the door. "Who are you?" She questioned pointing the umbrella at the boy in, what she assumed, a threatening manner "are you a burglar." Naruto chuckled "Nah, Kohta's letting me stay here for the night due to the rain."

The woman accepted his answer, easily showing her trusting, but naive nature. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is would you." Naruto nodded "Yeah he's in there." He replied. Yuka nodded and the two walked towards the door, Yuka to speak with Kohta and Naruto to deliver the spare clothes. The two were in for one hell of a shock when Yuka opened the door.

Naruto could've sworn that his jaw hit the floor at the sight. The two found themselves in the most compromising position yet. On the floor sat Kohta with a barely covered Nyu in what appeared to be incredibly sexual and intament position. Yuka was exhuding rage in wave after crushing wave at the current scene. Naruto was surprised that she wasn't letting off killing intent her anger was so great.

Naruto had to resist to punch the boy through the wall, but easily crushed the instinct once logic had reemerged. "It's not what it looks like." He said quickly only for Yuka to shut the door in his face leaving an indecent Nyu, Naruto, and Kohta. "Go talk to her." Naruto told him. "I'll dress Ka-Nyu." Kohta nodded missing the slight slip of tongue due to the brunette's distress.

Naruto got on his knees and removed Nyu's hands from fondling her breast and nearly giving Naruto a nose bleed in the process. He removed Nyu's wet clothing, gently slapping the girls hands away from her breast every few moments as he listened to Kohta's soft speech and Yuka's irrational ranting.

Naruto sighed, the two acted like an old married couple. Naruto heard Yuka speak of a festival the two went to when they were kids, making him immediately consider that festival that had made Kaede snap and go on a killing spree and nearly killing him. Kohta questioned what she was talking about only for the girl to scream at him in fustration. "YOU JERK!" He heard her scream, causing Nyu to look at the door with worry. "Yuka! Wait." He heard Kohta call out. Naruto opened the door letting Nyu walk out quietly, he peered around the corner seeing a shuddering Kohta.

He shivered violently "I feel cold, am I getting sick?" Naruto felt a sweat drop form at the boy's narration what would be considered obvious. "Nyu?" Nyu questioned confused. Naruto sighed, he really wished he knew what was up with this girl.

A pink haired girl laid chained against a severely dented wall, her head pointing down. Blood covered her body. her scent was terrible from her lack of a bath that she had never once been provided since her birth. A set of twin horns grew from the top of her head marking her as a diclonious.

A metal door opened to reveal the cold figure of Kurama, who walked into the room with an air of superiority, not unlike that of a politician. He approached the girl slowly, but gently. The girl looked up from the floor and at the man. Her eyes lit up upon seeing him. "Papa!" the girl said excitedly."

Just outside the room stood two more people a young woman, who was most likely in her mid-twenties and an older gentleman who appeared to be slightly older than that of Kurama himself. "Why does she call him 'papa?" the woman questioned. "She's not actually his daughter is she?" The man shook his head "No, the girl has been locked up here since she was born, undergoing some of our worst experiments, that were far more painful than even torture." He explained "She needed to latch onto something. Something to make sense of her situation and in turn began to use the director as a form of support and believing that he is her father. If she hadn't then she would have had a mental breakdown years ago." The woman looked at the scene a slight pang of guilt began to fester in her soul.

Kurama stared down at the girl. "Nana, I need you to do something for me." The girls eyes lit up at the idea of helping her adopted parent. "Yes, papa I'd do anything for you." Kurama continued to stare down at the girl, his emotionless facade still in place. "Nana, I need you to kill someone for me." Sadness crossed the girls features and she stared at the ground in depression. "I-I can't kill anyone papa." She replied. "She's not human, she's a diclonious like you Nana. Diclonious have the natural ability to sense and locate each other. Your the only one who can help me Nana." Nana looked up at her papa hopeful, before she looked down once more. "I still couldn't beat them." She said. "Then just locate her, we'll do the rest." Nana looked up her father, happiness flowing through her veins.

Kurama left the room, glancing at the doctor. "You have a day to get her ready for combat." he stalked out of the room the female quickly following behind.

Kohta pulled the thermometer from his mouth. "Shit, thirty nine degree's." Nyu... nyu'd in worry at the males present condition, kohta immediately noticed this and reassured her, nevertheless the girl was still incredibly worried for the boys health. Kohta looked out the window "It's morning already." He said. Naruto stood just outside the room staring inside. He could easily heal the boys illness, but it would be pointless to do so, it was only a cold. His gaze became drawn to Nyu. His thoughts over the girls symptoms had drawn him to one of two conclusions either she had a very thorough form of amnesia that bordered on brain damage, or she had developed a separate personality altogether. The former Naruto quickly disregarded. It wouldn't explain the sudden change in personality that she had displayed last night. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve himself of his growing headache.

The boy panted in discomfort. Nyu whimpered slightly beside the male. Naruto had left and was currently in the kitchen using what little food that was in the kitchen to make some soup for the boy. "Water..." Kohta gasped out. "Wa-ter" Nyu barely managed to say, before she jumped up and ran from the room in search of... a shoe. Kohta smiled slightly "It's the thought that counts." he mumbled.

Yuka walked up to the house both relaxed, yet nervous at the same time. She held a bag with some of her spare clothes for Nyu. She walked up to the door and silently left the bag at the door step. She turned and marched off just as the door to the Maple House opened. "Kohta I'm not here to see you, I just left Nyu some clothes..." Nyu grabbed her by the arm. "Water! Water!" She insisted and dragged Yuka inside.

Naruto finally finished the soup and poured it into a porcelain bowl and took it towards Kohta's resting place. He opened the door and was pleased to see Yuka and Nyu next to Kohta. Yuka gently placed a cold washcloth on Kohta's forehead. "Hey, I got him some soup if he feels well enough to eat." He announced. Yuka looked up at the blond. A small smile formed on her face when she saw he had gone out of his way to help a boy he hardly knew. "No, he's asleep, but thank you." Naruto nodded silently and sat down near the four. "Where'd you get the ingredients for the soup?" Yuka questioned the blond. "I find some food in the freezer. They weren't spoiled so I thought to make a little soup. I would have went to the shopping district and gotten more, but Kohta here was ill, Nyu can't take care of him, and I hardly have any cash on hand and still need to find a place to stay." Yuka's ears perked up at his last statement. "If you need a place to stay I'm sure Kohta wouldn't mind you staying as long as you help clean a bit." She replied. Naruto chuckled, he'd seen most of the home by now and it would be quite the challenge to maintain it on one's own. "I'd like that." Naruto said. The two sat in a comfortable silence, as Kohta gently snoozed.

It wasn't long before Kohta woke from his sleep, He looked up and saw Yuka, and felt guilty for not remembering the festival from so long ago. "I'm sorry." Yuka looked down at the boy thinking he was apologizing for being sick, but soon realized he was apologizing for forgetting her. Naruto realized that the two were having a tender moment and left bringing Nyu with him.

Kohta and Yuka talked for quite some time, leaving Nyu and Naruto to their own devices. Naruto analyzed the newest personality that had incorporated itself in Kaede's psyche. Nyu expressed the qualities of a young child. She was curious, talkative, as well as naive. Considering Kaede's past it might be a good idea that she remain naive. He quickly slapped himself for that thought. He sounded just like the Konoha elders.

Yuka emerged from the room. "Is there anymore food in the freezer? I was going to see if I could cook dinner, for everyone." She asked. Naruto nodded "Yeah, but not much, if you want I'll head out and do a little shopping, its the least I can do." Yuka's face brightened up. "Thank you, your much more helpful then some lazy bodies around here." Her gaze went over Kohta quickly. Naruto chuckled at the girls childish behavior and left heading straight for the shopping district. He could have easily gotten the much needed supplies in a matter of moments, but decided to take a walk for the first time in a long time.

Ten minutes didn't pass before Kohta felt well enough to walk about, so when a knock on the door resounded through the house, he answered it. He opened the door to see a small girl with shoulder length black hair wearing a yellow turtle neck holding the umbrella he lost the night before, and a small dog. "Um, hello" the girl said shyly "I was trying to return this to it owner." She handed him the umbrella and looked as though she were going to run off. "Where'd you get this?" He questioned. "I found it at the beach last night." She replied. He grabbed the girl by the shoulders frightening the girl. "Were there any soldiers there last night." The girl nodded shakily. Kohta noticed that he was causing the girl some discomfort. "Oh, I'm sorry, uh would you like to come in for a while, I have some questions I'd like to ask and lunch is almost ready." The girls mouth watered at the thought of food and immediately accepted his offer.

Nyu started washing the wooden floor and had quite literally drenched the floor with water and soap. It wasn't a real good combination for anyone who wanted to remain standing, so inevitably the girl ended up slipping and bashing her head against the old grandfather clock. She sat up blood lust coming off her in waves. Kohta rushed into the room as soon as he heard the crash, nearly slipping himself. "Nyu, are you okay?" The girl was no longer the child like Nyu, but instead the deadly goddess Lucy. Her vectors emerged from her back poised to strike the boy, unknown to the boy that he was even in danger, but she couldn't. As soon as she tried she saw a memory of a much younger Kohta screaming for her to stop. Her vectors disappeared and she didn't respond. She walked outside and away from the Maple House. She heard a bark from Wanta, and noticed the K9. She cut the rope holding him in place and walked off.

Naruto placed the last of his purchases in the paper bag, when he felt the burst of killing intent from the Maple House. "Oh shit!" he flooded his legs with chakra and jumped from building to building till he arrived at the home. He burst through the room and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see the bodies of Kohta or Yuka. Kohta ran into the room accompanied by Yuka. "Where's Nyu?" Naruto demanded looking for any sign of the girl. "Don't know, she left just a little before this girl returning an umbrella left." Naruto cursed before rushing from the home in search of the girl.

Nana stood at top of the stone staircase. She gently wrapped a tie around her horns and forehead that Kurama had given her just before she left to carry out her mission. She walked down and stood next to her target. "I knew where you were and you knew I was coming." She said "I'm going home and your coming with me." Lucy lazily gazed up at Nana.


	5. Guardian Angel

"I've already called for support, you and I'll go home soon." Nana said. Lucy simply looked up at the girl disdainfully. She stood up lazily and began to walk away from her. Nana quickly jumped in the girls path, blocking her from leaving. Lucy glared the girl "I've never had to kill another Diclonious before nor do I wish too. Diclonious are the only people." She said offhandedly and pushed the girl aside. Nana glared at the girl and summoned her vectors and grabbed the girl by the neck before slamming her into a tree. Lucy summoned her own to pull the girl girl off of her, but to her surprise she was outside her range. Nana smiled sadistically at the woman in her grasp. "My vectors can reach up to seven meters unlike you." She said as she slammed her into the wood "You can only reach up to five meters." Lucy frowned at the woman. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to make you suffer for what you did to papa." Lucy glared at the woman "I tried to be patient, but you've forced my hand." She said before she uprooted the tree and threw it at the girl who slammed her vectors into the ground, and forcing her body upwards giving her a form of limited flight. She glanced around the graveyard the two had landed in, but couldn't find any signs of the queen Diclonious. Several tomb stones floated into the air and were thrown at the girl. Nana eyes widen. She ducked and weaved past the stone monoliths, she dodged all, but one that was far to close and fast for he to maneuver out of its path. She forced her vectors to vibrate and sliced through the stone, and effectively saving herself. She panted, from the excessive use of her powers. A chuckle resounded through the graveyard. Lucy's laughing resounded amongst the tombs and graves. "You've only been fighting for a few moments and your already worn out. Pathetic." Lucy released her vectors in flurry of hand-like blades.

Mayu and Wanta ate from the bag of bread crumbs. She had tried to purchase some food for the two of them, but found it impossible when she realized that it was absent from her possession, probably stolen. She was forced to once again beg for scraps once more. Wanta barked and ran up the stone stairs. "Wanta!" Mayu yelled after him before she ran after the little dog. She got to the top and saw one of the most spectacular sights she would ever witness.

Nana barely managed to dodge Lucy's attacks and couldn't even manage to retaliate. She cursed herself for giving mercy to the woman. She caught a glance of black hair out of the corner of her eye. She diverted her glance for a second and the saw the young girl and her dog. Realizing they were n danger she did the only thing she could think of. She shot her vectors at the girl and threw her away from their battle. Mayu's kinetic force flung her into a nearby tree giving her a concussion and knocking her unconscious.

Lucy didn't hesitate to take advantage of the distracted girl. She violently tore off her leg. Nana screamed out in pain as she crumbled to the ground. A crash resounded from her impact. Lucy landed and stalked towards the girl. Nana glanced at the woman in fear and tried to crawl away. Lucy ripped off her right arm causing the girl to once more cry out. Lucy grinned at her combatant sadistically. "Does it hurt?" She asked grinning. Nana glared at her weakly "No, it doesn't hurt." Lucy ripped off her other arm and leg each time asking "Does it hurt." Nana was close to tears, but she held she held them in with as much willpower as she could. "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt..." She repeated over and over again in a drunken haze, from the pain she was experiencing. It was a miracle that she was still conscious. Lucy stared at the girl with disdain. She summoned a lone vector fully intent on killing the girl. She wielded it above her head fully intending on beheading the girl. She spotted metal out of the corner of her eye. She shot her vector at the would-be assassin who dodged quickly out of the way and placed a blade at her neck.

Naruto faced off with the woman his whisker mark thickened and his rinnegan eyes remained the same except for the feline-like slit that overlapped the inner laying ring pattern of his eyes. Naruto was pissed. Lucy huffed before she struck with her vectors. Naruto ducked and weaved out of the way of the invisible arms and tackled the woman. "Kaede, your going to far." He snarled "If I have to kill you so be it, but don't force to do it!" Kaede grabbed a chunk of stone from one of the destroyed grave markers. She smashed it into the blond's head shattering the stone and sending him careening next to Nana. Naruto stood up sluggishly blood seeping from his skull his eyes turning orange with rage at the woman. She walked towards the two lazily. Her vectors raging around her. Naruto glared. He had no urge to kill her, but she was making it damned hard not too. he glanced to his right at the pink haired girl who seemed on the verge of unconsciousness. Naruto redirected his attention back at Kaede as her vectors vibrated at insane frequencies.

Naruto grew wary if she came at him he'd be forced to use one of his more volatile techniques which would no doubt kill her. Luckily he didn't have to as a bullet impacted the concrete path she was on. Naruto and Lucy glanced in the direction of the sniper not more than a hundred feet away. Nana thinking quickly sent her vectors at Lucy and forced them past her skin and at her pineal gland where she disabled them, at least for the time being. Kurama glared at the queen diclonious. He approached the Nana, despite the armed guards that were chosen to come along as combat support. His assistant Shirakawa had prepared the guards to fire on the female diclonious to ensure that the man survived. Kurama clutched the girl in his arms. "Did I do good papa?" Nana asked. He dismissed her question with one of his own. "Why'd you engage her?" He asked. "I wanted to make papa pround of me." She replied. Lucy chuckled "Your daughters dead Kurama. Killed by your own hands I do believe." She announced. Kurama put down an unconscious Nana and lunged at the pink haired diclonious. Naruto dove in between the two and grabbed his wrist to the surprise of both Lucy and Kurama. "You. Will. Not. Touch. Her." He snarled at the man before kicking him some feet away. The guards aimed at the blond and the diclonious, but in an instant the two were gone.

Naruto appeared it the woods several miles away. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Lucy glanced at Naruto a look of confusion on her face. "Why'd you bother defending me?" Naruto gave her a toothy grin. "I always have." Lucy smiled slightly at the blond before her head throbbed and she collapsed to her knees. Naruto immediately kneeled next to the girl. "Nyu?" the girl said and Naruto sighed.

Naruto carried the girl back to Maple House. She apparently felt like being carried and forced Naruto to carry her all the way back as she looked at everything with interest. He opened the door and gently placed Nyu on her feet. Kouta and Yuka rounded the corner as soon as the door shut. Yuka gasped "Naruto your head." she noticed. Naruto scratched the back of his head embarrassed and came up with an excuse on the fly. "Yeah, Ka-Nyu and I were walking pack when I tripped on the stone steps and hit my head." Yuka nodded at his story before the four went into the kitchen just as the phone began to ring. Kouta answered it quickly before placing it to his ear. "Hello... yes this is him... wait why'd she call here... yes I'll be there in just a minute." He hung up and turned toward Yuka. "Mayu's in the hospital with a concussion. She said this was her state of residence, so I'm going to go get her." Naruto's ears perked up with curiosity "Can I come?" He asked. Kouta grinned "Sure, more the merrier." The two soon left and made their way towards the hospital.

The two arrived and the nurse brought the two to one of the many rooms before she slid the door open. The two thanked the nurse before letting their attention be drawn to the girl. Naruto almost felt his eyes pop out of his head. "Well it's small world after all." Naruto said when he saw the very same girl he'd given ounce of cash to laying in the bed with a small puppy in her lap.


	6. The Chance for Better Days

Kurama walked into the luxurious office. Moonlight gleamed off the metal walls of the room and onto the red carpeted room. The room was enormous, something that irked Kurama. Extra space could have been used to contain more diclonious or even more storage for lab equipment. Kurama didn't question director Kakuzawa. "Nana was defeated, by Lucy sir." Kurama announced. Kakuzawa just chuckled. "But of course, she is merely a slipet. Lucy is a queen diclonious." He replied "There's nothing on this planet that could defeat her." Kurama stared at the man warily. "Sir, how much longer will it take to produce vaccine?" Kakuzawa only laughed at the man. "Why would I want to cure a blessing." He stated, Kurama's eyes widened "Lucy's the messiah that I have been waiting so long for. Do you know why Kurama?" Kurama shook his head. Kakuzawa merely grinned "I wish to mate with her. The diclonious are meant to replace humanity as the dominant species, if I mate with her then I'll become the God of the next species." Kurama gulped before nodding simply and left the room. He entered the elevator and leaned against the wall. "I didn't sacrifice Nana and Kisaragi for this." He said as the first seeds of doubt at what he had been doing for over eight years.

Mayu apologized frequently when the three left the hospital. Naruto and Mayu were surprised at the sight of each other and immediately began speaking with one another as though they were a brother and sister that hadn't seen each other in years. Naruto asked why she was in the hospital, but she was hesitant to answer his question. Naruto noticed and switched the subject immediately. Kouta wondered how the two knew each other, but understood that the two probably wouldn't give him a straight answer. The two hardly knew him. Naruto held just as many secrets as he did, if not more. Kouta listened to the two's conversation, but didn't engage in their conversation.

The three entered the Maple House. Nyu, upon realizing that Naruto and Kouta had returned rushed into the foyer and tackled the two boys. "Nyu! Nyu! Nyu!" She yelled in excitement as she squished them in a tight bear hug. While the boys were struggling for air, Mayu was slowly beginning to hyper ventilate at the sight of the woman she had seen earlier at the cemetery. Her thought immediately falling upon the sight of the two flying through the air. She shook her head trying to dispel the memory. 'There's no way people came fly like that.' She thought in an attempt to discourage herself from the truth of what she had seen and what had caused her to be hospitalized in the first place.

Kouta eventually pried himself from Nyu's grasp; standing above Naruto he could prevent himself from chuckling at the boys predicament. Nyu continued to squeeze the blond in her vice like hug. Naruto glared at the laughing boy as he struggled to break free. Kouta considered helping him, until "Dinner's ready!" Yuka cried out. Kouta was gone in a flash leaving behind a smoke cloud that looked suspiciously like the outline of Kouta's body. He looked to Mayu for help; soon discovering that she was very much missing and had likely joined both Kouta and Yuka in the dining room. He glared at the incredibly oblivious Nyu who continued to squeeze the life out of him. He glanced up at the woman and for a moment their eyes locked. "Could you please get off me?" Naruto pleaded. She stared dumbly back "Nyu?" She questioned. Naruto sighed as a sweat drop formed on his forehead.

"I know you can't understand me, so why do I even try?" The girl smiled jovially "NYU!" She screamed happily. Naruto gasped as she continued to squeeze him. Naruto, in a rare show common sense, did one of the smartest things he has ever come up with. He did several one-handed seals and in a puff of smoke traded places with one of the numerous umbrella's by the door. Naruto sucked in air violently. The breath of life inflating his lungs in a glorious conclusion. Nyu looked at the umbrella in her hand curiously; she realized that it wasn't Naruto and looked around the room for the blond haired ninja dimension hopper. "Nyu." She said as she jumped to her feet and rushed after the boy. His eyes widened comically as he rushed up the stairs from the cuddly female.

Mayu, Kouta, and Yuka all ate lunch. Mayu eating silently as Yuka and Kouta traded idle conversation. Yuka glanced up from her dish at the girl and posed a question. "So, how do you like it here." Mayu darted her attention to the brunette. "Oh" She stated cluelessly "It feels like a home I guess." Yuka nodded and Kouta glanced at the girl as well. "I was curious Mayu." He stated "Why did you call us instead of your parents?" Mayu darted her gaze down to her plate as she tried to come up with a decent cover story. "Help me this girl is trying to smother me to death!" Naruto yelled from the other room. A crash resounded through the room, that sounded eerily like breaking glass. Mayu glanced at the two frightened adults who jumped from their seats. "We'll be right back Mayu." Yuka said as they rushed up the stairs.

Naruto grubbled as he was forced to sweep up the broken glass vase. Nyu was currently latched onto his back. While she wasn't attempting to asphyxiate him. She was making it more difficult to sweep up the broken glass. Despite himself he couldn't bring himself to throw the girl off him.

As soon as he was finished he carried the girl down the stairs and into the foyer. "Where do you live Mayu. We could take you home whenever you need us." He heard Yuka say in the next room. Naruto's eyes widened just as he ripped the door open. The three in the room directed their attention to the noise of the door opening. Naruto gazed at them "Actually, it looks like its going to rain pretty badly, maybe we should take her home tomorrow." He said smiling and looking slightly comical as Nyu pulled on his hair like a three year old on his shoulders.

Kouta chuckled and looked at Mayu who was glancing around the room shyly. "Do you think your parents would fine with that Mayu. We have plenty of room if you want." Mayu stared at Kouta in shock. "I-I really don't want to intrude." Naruto waved off her protest with a wave of his hand "Nonsense it's hardly - ow - no trouble at all. If these two can deal with me and Nyu, then you'll be perfectly fine." Naruto said as Nyu attempted to rip his hair out. Mayu then glanced at Kouta and Yuka and nodded her thanks at taking her in.

Naruto lead the young girl down the halls, luckily after successfully relieving his back from Nyu's weight. He opened one of the empty rooms and the two walked into the room. Naruto had cleaned the room not to long after the groups initial conversation. Mayu admired the room quickly with eyes that only someone who had learned to survive and had been humbled time and time again, could have. "Well this is your room, the bath is downstairs at the end of the hall" He said as he turned to leave. "Thank you Naruto." She said. Naruto glanced over his shoulder confused at the girl. "For what?" He asked.

"When Yuka and Kouta were asking me were I lived, you kinda jumped in and prevented me from having to explain." Naruto approached the girl and got on one knee. "Look I don't know everything about you and I don't need too." He said "But if you ever need me for anything, don't you dare hesitate to ask me for help. I'll come running to help." Mayu nodded at the blond before he walked out of the room to give the girl so privacy. He wouldn't see her for the rest of night.

Naruto walked out his room the next morning, yawning and scratching his head. He walked down the hall and knocked on the only closed door. Not a sound came from Mayu's room. Naruto knocked again "Hey Mayu its morning time to get up." He said. Still no sound, he sighed as he opened the door expecting to regret it in the near future. He stuck inside to see no one in the room. "Mayu?" Naruto called out worriedly. He looked around the room spotting a note sitting on the futon she had slept on the night before. He read it quickly and exhaled a frustrated breath "You know what... I'm not even all that surprised." Naruto sighed and left the room and headed downstairs where Yuka would no doubt be preparing breakfast.

He walked into the room and found Nyu and Kouta sitting at the table, just as he imagined. Yuka however stood at the counter cutting up a large bunch of vegetables. "We got a problem." Naruto said "Mayu's gone." Everyone excluding Nyu looked at him like he was just a little crazy. "Did she go home?" Yuka asked . Naruto sighed, having hoped he wouldn't have to explain this particular story. "Look, Mayu is homeless." He explained "She doesn't want you think of her as a burden. And no I don't know why she left home either." Naruto sat the note on the table. "I'm going to head out and look for her. She's been lucky, so far and I'm not going to let anything happen to her." Naruto left the room and Kouta read the note before passing it onto Yuka.

Naruto looked at the first place he could think, she would have headed too. The bakery was small and when Naruto spotted the closed sign, he realized that she couldn't possibly be here. He examined the sign and came to the realization that the small shop had closed due to the lack of business and would reopen at a later date. He cursed and considered the other possible places she could possibly be. His mind focussed on a dimmed memory, one that was of almost significance whatsoever. Ironic that it answered Naruto's problem. He almost slapped himself as he teleported in a golden flash.

He appeared on the beach. Naruto immediately realized where he was. He 'figures I'd find her were I met her.' He thought. He glanced at the storage facility where he met Mayu and where he finally caught up to Kaede after their prior escape. He looked around, noticing that Mayu wasn't anywhere nearby. He glanced at his feet to see the Tri-Kunai. He frowned, whether she had dropped it recently or not he could not tell. All he knew was that unless she was kidnapped, she would be up in the storage area. He hoped to whatever god existed that it was the latter.

He walked between the narrow paths, that were guarded by the large industrial containers. He looked between, above, inside, and if possible underneath them. He restricted himself from shouting out her name just in case she would run off.

It was almost two hours later he managed to find the girl. She was huddled within one of the many units. She was shuddering and Naruto noticed the absence of Wanta. "...Mayu..." He called tentatively. He gaze immediately set on his. He offered her a small smile "Can I come in?" He asked, she nodded and Naruto set about making himself comfortable. Silenced reigned with the confines of that little structure. Naruto periodically glanced at the girl, waiting for her to speak. When she didn't he realized that he would have to be the one to start of any form of conversation, and guessing by her sadness it was time for him to dig deep and actually present something of substance. "I grew up in two orphanages" He said. Mayu glanced up at the blond in surprise, but Naruto made no notice of it as he continued his tale. "It wasn't pleasant, they ridiculed me constantly, at the first for something my father had done. They neglected, beat, and starved me. It was a miracle that I survived as long as I did until I finally ran off." Naruto gazed off into space as though he was reliving every experience in an alien dimension.

"Time passed and I grew older. I helped others and achieved so much, but despite it all I ended up here in Kamakura in another orphanage." He said "It wasn't much better than the first. They were just as cruel to me, but instead of mocking me for the actions of my father, they mocked me for my eyes." He stared at the girl and pointed at his eyes. "These are my people refer to as the rinnegan. It's a genetic mutation that has only been seen four other times. Each time these person grew to become revolutionaries in whatever they accomplished. My caretakers didn't know this however and spat on me, and encouraged the other children to ostracize me."

He chuckled "I guess in some ways I'm forced to be thankful to them for that." He redirected his gaze back to the Mayu, but he didn't see her. He saw through her. "I met a friend who was almost exactly like me in every way."

The attendant ripped open the door and thrust a younger Naruto inside. "This is your new room, now stay here you little freak." the attendant stated to Naruto and slammed the door in his face. He sighed he hated this world almost as much as his original world. Ever since his final fight with Sasuke where he was sent through Kamui just before Sasuke's inevitable death.

His trip through the inter-dimensional portal had not been pleasant and was only made worse when he exited as an infant on the steps of the orphanage he was currently a resident of. His situation was only made worse when he discovered his ability to use chakra was currently nonexistent.

He grew older and older and was currently of the age of fourteen once again. He still couldn't use chakra or else the attendants and most of the children would be blood stains on the walls.

His murderous thoughts were interrupted by a soft cough from one of the two nearby beds. He looked to see a pink haired girl with horns on her head. "H-Hello" She said weakly. Naruto, who had at first looked the girl with disdain, immediately felt surprised and pity for the girl. Surprise at the fact that the girl would even bother saying 'hello' and pity because of how weak she seemed. He pulled up a seat next to the girl. "Hi" He replied "You do know that most people don't talk to me right." She shook her head "People don't talk to me either. They think I'm a freak or an ox that should sleep outside." She replied in turn. Naruto smiled, not because the girl had been ostracized, but simply because they were in the same situation. "My names Naruto" He said smiling. She smiled back "My Names Kaede."

Naruto went silent. His story was finished for now. Mayu held onto him tightly tears slowly streaming down her face. "My mother" She started "Married another man. He did terrible things to me and at first I resisted, but he only made it worse." Naruto held her snugly against himself ready to let go of her if she reacted badly. When she continued her story, he let himself relax. "I eventually stopped struggling altogether and let him do whatever he wanted to me. I eventually told my mother what my step-father did to me, but she grew angry not at him, but at me for getting his attention." Naruto felt his anger begin to boil at Mayu's previous caretakers. "I realized that she never loved me. That night when my step-father told me to take off my clothes off that night. I screamed 'No' and ran away. I kept running until I got to the beach. I felt so alone."

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she gasped into his chest "But then I met Wanta and we were both alone. I took in the pup just as much as he took me in and as long as we had each other I could manage to live." She went silent for a moment before she continued "But now I don't Wanta isn't here. His owner came and got him and took him home, so now I'm alone." Naruto shook his head into Mayu's hair his own tears streaming down his face for the girl.

"No Mayu, your not alone you have Yuka, Kouta, Nyu, and even me. I swear that no matter what I'll be here for you." Mayu nodded into his shoulder.

"Thank you Naruto" She replied as her tears slowly dwindled. Naruto picked up the girl and held her bridal style. "Come on let's go home." and so the little broken girl was carried by the blond ninja all the way to their little dis-functional family. That night the family rejoiced as their new member of the the family was permanently moved in. Yuka even baked the young girl a cake for the girl. Since it was ironically enough her birthday. The sang, ate, and drank the night away. Naruto found himself distracted by scratching at the door and when he opened it their sat the little puppy Wanta, who had decided that Mayu was his master, wanting entrance to their home. Naruto smiled lifting the puppy into his arms and called Mayu into the foyer. Naruto grinned and for the first time in many years Naruto actually felt that the world had finally righted itself.


	7. Naive

Mayu ran toward the road a happy smile on her face and Kouta couldn't help himself, but smile at how well the girl, that he now considered to be a younger sister, had adjusted. Several weeks had gone by and she was easily accepted in their home. "We'll see you later Mayu." He called. Mayu turned back and waved in a jovial manner before she ran down the street. Kouta stayed on the porch watching the girl run until she finally disappeared around a corner. He sighed contentedly and walked back inside.

He walked through the foyer and into the kitchen; where he saw Yuka preparing tea. "It's amazing how fast Mayu's been able to adjust to living here." He said trying to start some idle conversation. Yuka nodded, but didn't change her focus from her task. "I'm a little surprised at how quickly she gave up custody." He continued "She didn't even bother to ask any questions of us. What do you think happened to make her so apathetic Yuka however remained unresponsive to his attempts at conversation? He sighed. "So do you know where Naruto is at?" She nodded before pointing to the back garden where he was currently cultivating some Lilies. Kouta raised an eyebrow at the action. "I didn't know there was a garden, and since when did Naruto garden?" He asked. Yuka shook her head. "We didn't, Naruto planted all the flowers out there about a month ago, I'm surprised you didn't know about it considering how many times Mayu and Nyu came in covered in dirt and you were forced to once again mop the floor." She said finally. Kouta shook his head humorously "Naruto's a man of many talents I'll admit. Kind of intimidating really and I wouldn't be surprised if he manages to fix that broken grandfather clock in the foyer." He said as Yuka nodded in agreement, not knowing that another member of their family was attempting to do just that.

Naruto sighed as he gently watered the lilies, while most would consider the idea of plant and caring for something so delicate to be either tedious or pointless, it showed that he could be gentle with something. It was a sign that he was still capable of being humane. It expressed his ability to still hold onto his morals and not just be a simple killing machine, but a powerful human that could put his life on the line for the innocent and the weak. Naruto recalled the time where that was his only purpose was just that, to protect any and everyone who was endangered. His gentle grin fell from his face at the thought of his most recent failure however. It was one day that would force him to once more break the boundaries of normality. He gently plucked the Lily from the garden and a thought jumped into his head. He smiled when he thought of how it ironically fit. "Lily of Chastity" He silently spoke to aloud. It surprisingly fit the pink haired diclonious that was currently living amongst them. She was capable of receding into psyche of the childish Nyu and become completely oblivious to the problems that this world always provided its inhabitants. However on the rare occasion she would slip into her previous mentality of Lucy and become the blood thirsty killer she was forced to become that excluded herself from humanity as a higher being. He chuckled at how ironic it had fit her. The door to the house opened allowing for Kouta to stick his head out. "Naruto we're headed out to the college." He yelled. Naruto waved showing that he had heard the boy before he shut the door and the three remaining members of Maple House would depart and leaving him all alone. He just hoped that letting them take Nyu, despite his better judgment, to the college wouldn't bite him in the ass later.

Bando was led down the halls of the local college with a simple question on his mind. "Why are we at a college instead of the Diclonious Institute?" Isobe, his guide and one of the leading scientists at said institute, glanced at the blind man. "We need the help of a mad scientist." he stated "In order to help you, you're in luck that one of them is here." The two approached a door and Isobe knocked on the door. An unshaven, but jovial man stuck his head and noticed the two. "Oh, come in come in." He said and the two entered. The room was cluttered, showing the man's obvious lack of organization and hygiene. "I'm sorry about the mess, if I had known you were coming I would have cleaned up." He said with a laugh. Isobe was starting to become irritated with this man and every nerve in his body screamed for him to get the hell out of there. "So, which of my service do you require?" The man asked. Isobe sighed "Dr. Kakuzawa, my associates needs an artificial arm as well as a new set of visual receptors." He stated to the man. "Ooh, may I ask what the man encountered that requires such replacements." Kakuzawa asked, now examining Bando. "Lucy" Isobe replied simply. "Ah, I see. I was unaware that she had escaped from her confinement. It would seem father has forgotten to keep me informed once again I see. Oh well, if you could follow me Bando we'll begin." He said gesturing for Bando to follow him into the other room. He left the room leaving Bando in the room confused "Where'd he go?" He asked. Isobe couldn't help himself "He went that way." while pointing in the direction Kakuzawa went. Bando growled "You're both dicks!"

After some help getting into the operating room and sitting on the table, Kakuzawa looked over some charts before he told Isobe that he wished to be alone with his patient, something that made Bando VERY uncomfortable. He gulped as he heard the doctor pace all over the room doing only god knew what. Kakuzawa gathered the required materials for the male's artificial limbs. He attached a mask to the male's face before applying the required amounts of anesthesia to knock him unconscious. Once the drug had induced the desired effect, he proceeded to saw away at the stub of his arm, and removed his original eyes and replaced them with the artificial receptors. It was hours later when he finished and Bando stirred.

Bando slowly moved his aching limbs from their uncomfortable position. His mouth felt like it had been filled with cotton. His vision was blurred and he desperately wanted to murder that doctor that had put him in his current state. His eyes widened. He could see. With that thought, he laughed a giddy school girl who had just gotten herself candy. "So are you impressed with the implants?" Dr. Kakuzawa asked. Bando nodded his head "They're not as good as my original eyes, but they'll do." Kakuzawa nodded his head at the man's excitement "Well now that that's finished we have one more final piece of business to discuss. I'll need to castrate you due to the diclonious virus that you have exposed too." Bando eyes widened in surprised and immediately look for an escape. He spotted the window on the other side of the room. "However, I don't feel like it." Bando hesitated when Kakuzawa said this little piece of information. "I'd actually like to see that the diclonious do take over this planet, and if you were to have children then it will only accelerate the rate at which they will inevitably take over." Bando's eyes widened "Your Insane!" he exclaimed. Kakuzawa laughed "Well I am a "mad scientist"" He said before he once again became serious "It matter's little whether I castrate you or not is your choice. I alter the medical records as needed and you can do as you wish, maybe get revenge on a certain female perhaps." Bando narrowed his eyes at the man, crazy or not. He was right. The only way that this catastrophe could be averted would be too kill Lucy.

Kouta, Yuka, and Nyu all sat in their chairs as the students around them. Kouta and Yuka conversing about their professor and the rumors that surrounded the man, as Nyu randomly said 'yes' proudly. She was incredibly proud of her new skill. The door to the room suddenly opened catching the attention of every student and flooding the room with silence. "Everyone quiet… Oh you already are." He said jovially with a big grin plastered onto his face. "I'll be your professor Dr. Kakuzawa. Proclaimed genius and, if you will, a little crazy if you believe the rumors all over the school. Since your all here let's begin the lesson."

Kouta gulped causing Yuka to look at him in concern. "What's wrong?" She asked as quietly as possible. "He's known to call on students the first day and ask random questions of the class, that and he's a little crazy." He replied. Yuka looked at him like he was the crazy one instead of their professor before her eyes lit up in terror. "What if he calls on Nyu?" She exclaimed silently. Kouta nodded remorsefully "We just have to hope that he doesn't call on her." He stated, just as Kakuzawa decided to start calling on students as he walked up and down the aisles. Kouta and Yuka held their breaths as he got closer and closer to them. He walked by to address a terrified male student several rows back. The two sighed in relief that they were safe from the man's question and Nyu hadn't done anything that would draw attention to themselves. "…No that isn't the correct answer" Kakuzawa sighed frustration as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "Does anyone know the answer?" Silence reigned for just a moment before a resounding "YES!" emerged from one particular pink haired diclonious causing Kouta to face palm.

Naruto suddenly froze suddenly. The kunai in his hand pitched back and ready to be thrown at his shadow clone. Naruto sighed "Odd, suddenly I have the urge to castrate Kouta before committing mass murder." Naruto said shrugging before throwing the kunai through the clone, the fence behind it, and the fence behind that, before it killed a black cat that happened to be crossing the road.

Kakuzawa turned back towards the voice and froze immediately upon the sight of the female. The horns, while being hidden behind her hair ribbons to all except his trained eyes, and her pink hair immediately made her recognizable to and him alone. "Class is over, get out." He said causing everyone to stare him strangely. "Get out!" he yelled when they didn't immediately. Everyone jumped from their seats and scrambled for the door trying their best to get as far away from the psychotic professor. "You three" Kakuzawa said pointing Kouta, Yuka, and Nyu who were unlucky enough not to get out of the class room in time. "Follow me to my office, now." Kouta felt fear creep into his stomach, but conceded to his wish and the three followed him to his office.

Kouta slowly trudged towards the Maple House. Finding out that Kakuzawa was Nyu's uncle, had forced the two to leave her in his custody. Kouta and Yuka had soon become depressed. The two walked in to the large house to find Naruto and Mayu playing a game of Shogi (It's pretty much like chess). Mayu looked at the pieces with a deep concentration as she tried to figure out the best strategy to defeat the blond haired ninja. She hesitantly picked up a piece and placed it. Naruto immediately grabbed another piece and place it. "tsumi" he announced causing Mayu, in a rare show of rage, to throw the board across the room. Naruto laughed at the girl's antics, before he noticed the couple who had been watching the end of the match. "So how was school?" He asked before he noticed that one member was missing. "Where's Nyu. She would have glomped me by now if she could." Kouta sighed knowing he'd have to drop the bomb on the group. "Her uncle was one of the professor's at school. He's taken her home to her parent's. I'm sorry guys" He explained looking up at Mayu and Naruto. Mayu looked as though she was about to burst into tears. She rushed from the room and into the hall no doubt to her room. Naruto's response however was the most surprising however. His face was that of a master poker player, his thoughts and feelings hidden from his opponent in the form of a perfect mask. Naruto nodded his head in acceptance "So what was the man's name?" Naruto asked. Kouta blinked. "Dr. Kakuzawa" He replied quickly. "Do you have an address or phone number maybe for the man?" Naruto drilled. "No, why" he asked. Naruto sighed "Did he tell her parent's maybe?" Kouta shook his head. "How long have you known this man." Naruto continued. "I met him today." Kouta replied. Naruto scratched his nose nonchalantly. "Did he show you of Nyu or maybe a birth certificate?" Naruto asked. "No, what is it you're wanting from me Naruto?" Kouta drilled. Naruto exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just trying to understand what happened." Naruto said finally letting the rage that had been coursing through his body to tint his voice. "So, let me see if I have this right. You gave a man you had literally just met and handed over the custody of a girl who has no way of fending for herself to a complete and total stranger. Not only that but, Without asking a single question or getting an ounce of fucking proof to whether he actually is related to the girl, and for what, because he FUCKING SAID!" Naruto's innegan eyes had mutated by this point into a violent shade of red and the whisker marks on his cheeks had thickened considerably as his blood lust filled the room. Naruto I'm sorry. He said he'd charge me with kidnapping. I had no choice!" Kouta said trying to hide the fear in his voice. Naruto lunged at the boy and tackled him into the wall. He slowly began strangling him with his arm. "FUCKING LET HIM. IF HE'S RIGHT THEN HE SHOULD'VE PROVIDED SOME PROOF, BUT NO YOU DECIDED TO PLAY DUMBASS AND GAVE A GIRL WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OF A THREE YEAR OLD TO A POTENTIAL MURDER OR RAPIST!" Naruto released the pressure off of Kouta's throat, not even noticing Yuka trying to pull him off of the other male. Kouta fell slid down the wall in fear and trying to inhale large gulps of air. Naruto shrugged off Yuka's arm and made his way toward the door. He opened it, but glanced back speaking with a derogatory yet wise tone. "Yeah, Kouta you are sorry. Go grow a pair and stop being so naïve." He said before rushing off one thought on his mind. 'Kouta better hope I get there in time for his and her sake. I'm coming Kaede just hold on." He fueled his muscled with chakra making move faster and cause a sonic boom t trail behind him.

Kakuzawa gazed onto the charts all clothing having been discarded some time ago. His intentions obvious, but not carried out. He chuckled evilly before he gazed back at his prize. The pink haired diclonious was chained to the wall in the nude, pulling at her bounds as she tried to escape the terrifying man. "It's quite amazing really your, biology of course, your powers your horns all, so fascinating." He said more to himself then the girl. "To think that all I had to do was give a few small details to the man who broke you from my father facility and I'd get the pleasure of becoming god instead of him. The sensation is so… arousing." He continued lecherously as he approached the girl. "Nyu! Nyu! Nyu!" she screamed as though she were crying for help. Kakuzawa grabbed her by the jaw. She bit back in a rare form of hostility that had never once been displayed by the girl shocking the man and causing his hand to bleed. "I'm quite surprised you haven't used your vectors. I would if I were in your situation." He responded. He pulled his hair from his head to reveal that he was also cursed with horns growing from his head. "Yes, girl I am also a diclonious. However unlike you I am not blessed with those amazing vectors of yours." He approached the girl who was desperately trying to break out of her bounds. He slowly got closer and closer and the girl forced her eyes just before the sound of chirping birds filled the room and the sound scream of insidious man being stabbed from behind in destructive light show. Nyu opened her eyes and saw Kakuzawa with a lightning covered hand emerging from his body. The man's vision faded before he slipped off the dimming hand and onto the floor dead showing Naruto standing victoriously behind him. Naruto stared "I have to thank you for giving the location of Kaede, but…" he said before violently kicking him in the side "…You can burn in hell you little shit!" he turned his gaze to Nyu and quickly sliced the chains causing the girl to collapse to her knee's tears streamed from her eyes. Naruto removed his sage cloak and wrapped it around the girl before he picked her up and carried her from the scene. The task was finally completed. He held no remorse for the man, he was little more than a puppet led on by pure delusions of grandure and power. He left the body and the room as he held the whimpering girl in his arms. "It's okay." He consoled the girl. "I'll always protect you."


	8. Crime Scene

Step, step, step, turn, step, step, step, turn… a simple methodical repeating motion that allowed one to think and move at once. The action, known as pacing, would forever be used by the nervous or stressed individual. Kouta had chosen this action to clear his mind and figure out what to do. Naruto had run off not five minutes ago to either murder Dr. Kakuzawa or re-kidnap Nyu. Neither action was a good alternative to other; leaving Kouta decision. He could either let Naruto do as he wished or he could run to the university and, by some miracle, settle this altercation a bit more diplomatically then his blond friend. He sighed. The answer was too obvious.

"Yuka I'm head to college to sort out this mess!" He didn't even wait for a response before he had rushed out the door and towards the college.

Naruto carried the shivering girl in his arms as walked across the broken pavement. She had fallen asleep moments after he had left the university. He slowly made his way back to their temporary home, or at least he hoped he was. He never had been good with directions and it wasn't helping their situation. He sighed as he held the girl closer to him. He would have begun jumping across the roof tops, however that would no doubt have woken Nyu up, so with one heavy step after the other he trudged on his thoughts going off into familiar territory as he remember his favorite meal. His stomach growled and Naruto sweat-dropped. "I want a cup of ramen." He said to himself.

A young woman walked onto the college campus. She often found herself traveling to this location to do more and more research for the Diclonius vaccine, so much so that she often had to neglect her personal hygiene. She inserted her spare key into the lock and pushed against the door. It opened easily and prepared to enter. "Hello!" She heard from behind. She turned her head quickly causing her light blue hair to whip around. She glanced at young male that was approaching her quickly. She sighed and spoke bluntly "yes." She said not even attempting to show her aggravation at his presence. He arrived in front of her gasping for breath and clutching his aching stomach. "I need to see Professor Kakuzawa. It's really urgent." He huffed out tiredly. The woman sighed irritably. "Yeah, whatever; follow me, do keep up. I'm not going to slow because you're too slow." She replied. She didn't care. She had too much work to do and all she wanted to do was go home and take a hot shower. "Thank you" The boy said "Ms..." The female rolled her eyes. "Arakawa is fine." She stated. The walked on in a stiff silence mostly due to Ms. Arakawa rather than Kouta. The two walked down the hall before finally reaching a door at the end of the hall. The young doctor removed another key from her pocket and placed it into the lock. She twisted causing the lock to immediately unlock itself. She opened the door to reveal a dark stairwell. She beckoned the male to follow before they slowly began to descend.

Kouta looked around trying see through the darkness as the two continued to descend. He couldn't fight off the cold chills that would attack him as they stepped further and further into the dark abyss. "Why would the professor be working down here, why not in his office?" Kouta questioned. The blue haired female sighed and considered giving the boy an answer. She eventually conceded to her judgment figuring that it couldn't hurt. "Dr. Kakuzawa and I are developing a vaccine for an epidemic." Kouta looked at the girl questioningly, despite his difficulty seeing the woman. "What epidemic, I haven't heard anything on the news?" The woman chuckled "You probably have actually. The problem itself isn't very recent however. It sprung up about eight years ago, in this town ironically. It caused a massive number of murders starting about eight years ago and up until about three years ago when we finally caught up to it and capture it source." She explained. Kouta thought back eight years not remembering any murders or epidemic. All he could remember was waking up in the hospital and the doctors telling him that his father had died in car wreck and when he had asked about his sister they had told him that she had died from a disease a year and half ago. Then a frightening thought entered his head. 'Could whatever had happened to these people have happened to his father and sister?' It was possible; he had discovered that the police were being bribed by someone and he wouldn't doubt that it had happened in the past. His thoughts would have continued down this line of thought. However he noticed a choice word the woman had used "Captured?" Kouta questioned. Arakawa slowed her fast pace to explain. "Yes" she began. "The cause of murders was a new species known as a Diclonius. They possess these psychic appendages called vectors that, when vibrated at a high enough frequency cut through and stop almost anything." Kouta stared at woman like she was insane. "Right… where are they now then?" Arakawa kept walking not noticing the amounts of sarcasm in the boy's voice.

We located and locked up most of them, however if we couldn't capture them then we immediately gunned them down, however the Diclonius that started this mess escaped and we're using every available resource to track her down." Kouta felt a sinking feeling in his gut "Can you describe them?" Arakawa glanced at him questioningly "They have horns and generally horns about three inches growing out of their skull." Kouta eyes widened "What do you do to them once you've finished your analysis of a Diclonius?" He asked. They reached the bottom of the staircase as a dim light reached them. She spun around to face the boy. "We neutralize the threat." She stated simply before they continued down the hall. Kouta gulped in fear for Nyu.

Naruto continued to stumble along the broken concrete path. He had moved Nyu to his back where she currently clung to him. She was shivering terribly and had started to become feverish. Naruto knew the girl had never had a very strong immune system, but it seemed that for the first time he had actually overestimated the girl. He had removed his shirt and wrapped it around the girl before placing her on his back, however if he find a familiar path to the house then Naruto would be forced to break into one of the surrounding buildings for the night. He sighed wishing that he had left a Hirashin kunai back at the Maple House however he had only made one since his entry into this world and hadn't returned the one in his possession back to Mayu. His thoughts strayed to the younger girl. She was no doubt worried about him and Nyu, that and his blow up on Kouta was no doubt heard by the girl despite her not being in the room. He wouldn't doubt it if his yells were heard by their surrounding neighbors. He glanced over his shoulder at the pink haired girl leaching onto his back. He noted her shallow breathing. He needed to get her home, now.

Kouta and Arakawa continued to their destination, hardly making a sound. The two eventually found themselves nearing a metal door, a dim light emanated under the crack of the door and filtering into the hall. Arakawa approached the door "He should be in here somewhere." She said before opening the entrance.

The two entered the dimly lit room. Arakawa cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "Dr. Kakuzawa!" the woman yelled "A got one of your students here. He has some questions he wants to ask." No response emanated from the darkness. Arakawa allowed a confused expression cross her face. "Odd, he's usually down here." She continued. The two decided to separate in an effort to find the missing egotistical doctor.

Kouta entered and exited multiple rooms, often finding nothing but dust and broken equipment. However after a good long time he entered one other room. Upon entering he was forced to cover his eyes from the uncomfortably bright light of an x-ray display. A moment later he carefully lowered his arms in an effort to see. His eyes immediately focused onto the lit up display showing multiple images of skulls. However unlike a normal skull these had small three inch horns sprouting up from the bone. "Good god" he said suddenly hoping that the doctor hadn't killed as many people as he suspected. His thoughts went to Nyu. He prayed that he wasn't too late to save her. He moved closer to the display trying to get a better look. He tripped suddenly falling and hitting a dissection table with his head.

He crashed to the floor cupping his skull in pain before he tentatively opened his eyes to see what he had fallen over. He gaped at the sight of the professor, wondering why the man hadn't moved. That's when he smelt scorched flesh. He would've gagged had it not been for the mind numbing pain in his skull. He crawled over to the man before turning him onto his back and gasped at the sight of massive hole through his chest. He sat there and stared until Arakawa finally entered room. She covered her mouth in shock at the sight before she quickly grabbed Kouta and rapidly began to drag him from the room. "You have to get out of here." She began. "I'll handle this mess, but whatever you do, don't mention what you saw here to anyone do you understand me." She quickly got him to the exit of the building before thrusting him out the door and into the dark night.

Mayu walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She wore a conservative set of orange flannel pajamas. Naruto had given them to her as a gift for her birthday.

She spotted Yuka at the table immediately upon entering the room. Her solemn expressing seemed to have caused the rooms temperature to have five or ten degrees. Mayu tentatively stepped further into the room doing her best not to incite Yuka's explosive temper that she was so well known for. Yuka's head tilted up catching Mayu's gaze. "Do you think I'm pretty Mayu?" Mayu felt sorry for the woman she thought of as a mother. She sat next to her before she engulfed her in a soft warm embrace. "Yes" She replied "You're a very pretty." She snuggled into her shoulder. Yuka sighed indignantly "Then, why doesn't Kouta ever notice me or anything I do. It's always Nyu this, and Nyu that with him." She said as a stray tear fell down her face before dripping onto Mayu's head. Mayu would've laughed had Yuka not have been in such a sour mood. "Kouta's oblivious as ever." She said trying to comfort her. "He'll notice eventually." She continued. Mayu continued to hold the girl until they heard the door slide open.


	9. word to the wise

Naruto stumbled into the room his legs shaking lightly with the weight of the pink haired woman on his back. He turned to go up the stairs just into time for Yuka and Mayu to enter the room and spot him entering. He nodded to the two and slowly marched up the steps. The two girls quickly glanced at each other gauging the others reaction to the shirtless blond before they quickly rushed up the stairs after him and his pink haired package.

Naruto entered the room and gently laid the girl on his sleeping matt. He sighed in relief as the weight that had slowly taken its toll on his stamina for the last hour had finally been transferred.

Yuka and Mayu finally entered the room. Yuka upon seeing the girl shivering and sweating profusely realized that the girl was deathly ill and returned to the first floor to get medication and water. Mayu quickly moved to help Naruto in any way she could.

Yuka quickly came back into the room with the necessary supplies and snapped off the lid and was less than a second away from attempting to administer it before Naruto quickly grabbed her wrist tightly causing her to drop the fever reducing tablet to the floor.

"Ow" the woman cried. "What the hell was that for Naruto?" Naruto sighed in contempt and, despite the fact that the girl couldn't possibly have known that even a small dosage of a common ingredient found in the medication could very well cause a diclonious pineal gland to burst and kill or cripple them.

"The girl can not ingest more than 5 milligrams of fluoride at one given time." He replied, causing the girl to sigh in annoyance and leave the room in a irritated frenzy.

Naruto massaged the bridge of his nose to relieve his growing headache. He dropped his hand from the piece of cartilage and turned to the silent Mayu. "I need you to go get a small brown paper bag in the pantry on the bottom shelf on the left hand side. There should be several different types of herbs." He told the young girl. She nodded and quickly left the room to do as asked.

Yuka grumbled and walked outside and sat on the cold stone steps. She knew she that she was in the wrong but her pride wouldn't allow her to go upstairs and apologizing to the stubborn blond.

She sat there for several minutes staring at the stone pavement until a set of worn leather shoes appeared in her vision. She slowly allowed her vision to trail up the persons legs, past the waist and followed up their chest until finally her vision fell onto Kouta's strained and confused. "Kouta, your home." She said glumly "Was doctor Kakuzawa at the university."

Kouta blinked several times in quick succession as though he himself was trying to remember her. "Uh, no he wasn't there." Yuka nodded wondering how Naruto had found the pink haired meta-human. Yuka looked up at Kouta jumped up and grabbed his hand and tugged him down the street, both catching him off guard and nearly tripping him in the process. "Yuka where are you going and what about Nyu?" He questioned the dark haired brunette. She bristled at the mention of the girl but answered his question anyway.

"Naruto brought her back to the house about ten minutes ago." Kouta looked back at the house longing to check on the girl, something that Yuka noticed immediately. She felt her heart sink and depression set in the pit of her soul. She almost stopped tugging him along; she didn't. She was determined to get him to notice her even if he hated her for keeping him from the pink haired girl, and so she continued dragging the boy to somewhere she would be alone with him.

Mayu rushed back up stair with the desired bag of herbs. She sprinted down the hall and to the door. She opened it and found the sight of Naruto his hands glowing a dim green glow. She gasped at the sight.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder at the dark haired child and immediately stopped the excess but controlled chakra flow. He cracked his neck and finally directed his attention to the gaping girl. He looked down to her hands and spot the bag his expression unchanging. "Good you found them." He said presenting his hand to successfully accept the healing agents.

Mayu handed them to him quickly. The blond then proceeded to open the package revealing several smaller bags each filled with a different plant species. He opened the bags and individually brought the drugs to the base of his nose. He took a whiff of the drugs in an attempt to judge their freshness. He frowned slightly before he discarded a small package of dark red herbs.

The blond male mixed and ground the ingredients in a small mortar and pestle, that he removed from one of the surrounding shelves. He then proceeded to add them to the still warm water that Yuka had presented earlier. He sighed and wiped the miniscule amount of sweat that had built along the top of his forehead during the course of his task and brought the bowl to the small pink haired diclonious girl.

The black haired girl watched on silently as all this occurred; silently musing over what she was witnessing and inevitably noticed several things and only one question could answer the unanswered questions that plagued her mind ever since Naruto had returned to their home with the young woman upon his back.

"Naruto," Mayu said "How do you know so much about Nyu?"


	10. Submerge into Isolation

Naruto cursed silently, setting down the bowl of water off to the side before glancing up at the young woman in front of him. She glared at him with a piercing glare. He sighed knowing that he was likely to have to give an explanation anyway. He had only wished he hadn't had too so soon.

"You remember when I told you that I lost someone close to me and I have been searching for years to find her." He stated. Mayu thought for a moment before a look of understanding appeared on her young face. "Yes, Mayu the girl you call Nyu is the young girl I remember from an orphanage just over eight years ago."

:)

Naruto felt fear for the first time in a long time as the pink haired girl convulsed horribly as he tried to hold her to keep her from hurting herself as she thrashed about. Moment before that blond had given the girl a small to reduce the pain she was feeling from her illness something that the two had found was growing more and more common. The girls raging slowed until she was finally unconscious. The blond let her slip from his shaking arms. The adrenaline, that had taken hold once the girl had reacted negatively to the drug, slowly began to wane. He grabbed the girls sheets and pulled them over her unmoving body to tuck the fragile girl in.

He reprimanded himself for once more giving her a substance that caused her more harm than good. 'Apparently modern medicine isn't perfect' he thought angrily. He got up silently and opened the window. He crossed over its frame and hurriedly began to climb down the shingled tiles of the orphanage and headed toward the forest to search for herbs that would hopefully not cause anywhere near as bad of an effect as anything else he had given Kaede. He silently thanked Sakura for teaching him how to identify and pick herbs. With that thought in mind he silently ran into the dark and gloomy forest.

When he returned at dawn he nearly yelled in shocked. All over the room were black hand prints over most of the furniture and walls. Icy fear flowed into his veins when he thought about the sleeping girl. He rushed to her bed and saw her sleeping peacefully allowing Naruto to calm down knowing that the girl was safe and sound.

Time passed and eventually Kaede's relaxed sighs of rest ceased. Her eyes fluttered open cutely before she rose up and stretch her tense limbs. She looked around the room as well surprise written on her face. "Naruto what happened?" She asked quietly. Naruto shook his head. "I don't know. Are you feeling better?" She nodded slowly not feeling the migraines she had been assaulted by recently.

Naruto stood up and opened the door. "Come on let's go get something to eat." Kaede quickly got up and dressed, Naruto keeping his head turned away from the pink diclonious.

:)

There was a multitude of things that Naruto could list on his things he hated about his and Kaede's 'home.' However the thing that reached the top of this list was a certain group of bullies. They were led by an annoying ass named Tomoo. Poor guy got on Naruto's hit list a long time ago, however this didn't keep him from antagonizing the two any chance he got. He reared his ugly head too early that morning.

Naruto and Kaede quickly got into line and began the long and tedious process of getting a little food from the serving woman. Kaede went first and got out of line before she headed for there little corner of the cafeteria.

This was when Tomoo and cronies decided that they wanted to degrade their favorite 'cow,' a name he gave her due to her horns. He stood in her path blocking her from reaching her table. She glared at the ideal model of an ass before turning to walk away from the annoying twat. It seemed that he had planned for her to do this as his two sidekicks blocked an escape. "Move" She demanded coldly. Tomoo sneered at her arrogantly.

"I don't think I want to do that cow. I thought it would be fun to have some fun." Kaede responded by promptly punching the boy in the face. He staggered but sadly didn't land on his ass.

He snarled "Grab that stupid cow." He demanded of his grunts. They were quick to respond and knocked the tray from her hands, knocking its contents to the floor.

Tomoo caressed his bruised cheek before turning to the girl with a glare. A sinister grin formed on his face. "I think our little girl needs to eat like a stupid cow." He hinted to his dimwitted followers. They gave him a confused look before they realized what he meant and matched his expression.

They shove her face to the floor, bruising her nose in the process. They smeared her face into the goopy food. She grit her teeth and thrashed in their grasp.

A blur appeared behind the two laughing bullies. The boy behind the two brutes wrench their heads back and slammed them together resounding with a loud crack. They collapsed to the ground revealing Naruto's small form.

He step over their limp bodies and grabbed Kaede's trembling form and pulled her onto her shaking feet. Naruto turned Tomoo and quickly received a strike from the boys fist. His face turned to the side his hair covering his eyes from view. "Heh, guess your not as strong as you think you are Uzumaki?"

Naruto turned to the boy his eyes, however weren't those of the rinnegan, but instead the blood red slitted pupils of the Kyuubi. Naruto snarled before grabbing the boys shoulders. He brought the terrified child's face to his and snarled.

:)

When the staff finally got Naruto's berserk form off the boy. Tomoo had already sustained multiple laceration and broken bones. It took three people to restrain the boy before he finally calmed down and his eyes turned to normal. He glared at the caregivers, who dragged him into the headmasters office.

:)

Kaede ran off into the woods once she felt that overwhelming blood lust emanating off of her friend. She collapsed with small tears slowly falling from her eyes. She looked up from the dirty path to feel the wet flesh of a wet tongue licking off the scraps of food that still lingered on her face. She laughed lightly and petted the dog that had found her. She stayed out there with the little dog. I didn't take her long to decide she wanted to keep it and hid it as best as she could in her shirt.

:)

A day passed. Naruto was punished and would not be allowed eat anything that the staff server for the next three days, as well as be locked in his room.

Kaede showed him the puppy and while he wasn't very found of it, he did tolerate it. Kaede gave half of her food to the pup and the three spent most of their time in their tiny room.

:)

The class bell rang signal that the students could leave the class for the day. Kaede stood from her desk and made her way to the door. However Tomoo beat her to it however. Naruto sadly hadn't injured the boy enough that he couldn't go to class however he'd never regain full use of his arm.

"So, Uzumaki isn't around to defend you, that's what he gets for messing with me." He said sneering. Kaede was about to reply, but somebody beat her to the punch. "Leave her alone Tomoo, or I'll tell the teachers." A girl stated menacingly. Tomoo glared at the girl before signalling to his colleges to follow him before he limped out of the room. Kaede turned to the girl and stared at her shocked. "Thank you" She said silently. The girl smiled back, Kaede couldn't help but smile back.

:)

Naruto glared at the ceiling irritably as the dog barked repeatedly wishing to be let out so it could tinkle. Naruto didn't bother hiding the twitch that had developed on his face.

The dog barked just before the door opened revealing the pink haired diclonious girl. She sat at her bed a light smile on her face. Naruto's looked at her knowingly. "How was school?" He asked.

Kaede glanced at him with the same smile "I think I made a friend."


	11. How do you live?

It was less than a day later that Kaede entered the room after classes had ended for the day with a grimace on her face and a hand clutching her stomach, something that Naruto had no trouble missing. She sat her school stationary off to the sides and collapsed onto her bed. The dog that she had adopted had taken this moment to scurry out from underneath the two's bunk bed and to pounce onto the pink haired girl playfully.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the irritating things behavior. He had to go out of his way for hours on end to keep the thing quiet and to hide it when one of the staff came into the room to make sure that he continued to remain isolated something that had only helped to depressing his mood further, so by this point he was fairly fed up with everything and his patience was burned short.

Kaede groaned and rolled over and pet the dog behind its ears. Her stomach growled quite suddenly causing the blond to jump and fall off the top bunk and his body to slam into the hard wooden floor. "Fuck!" He growled out before slowly standing.

He glared, as his aura screamed intimidation, at Kaede who was shrinking into herself with the expression of that of a toddler getting its hand caught in the cookie jar. "How much did you feed him." Naruto accused more than questioned. The girl shrugged not wanting to tell the blond that she had only eaten half her miniscule serving of the meal and had silently snuck up here to feed the woodland companion that she was determined to keep in their room, the rest.

Naruto sighed. "You no we can't keep him up here." Naruto stated as he grasped the bridge of his nose relieve his now growing headache. Kaede gave him her own glare.

"Why not!" She questioned harshly. Naruto shook his head at how naive the girl was being.

"Let's start with feeding it shall we. You can't possibly feed him forever, 'and' I can't help, and what about keeping it's mouth shut! I'm not going to be able to do it forever Kaede and even then eventually one of our 'care givers' are going to find out." He explained angrily." Kaede only continued to glare at him, before she walked over to grab one of their backpacks and took it to the where the dog had been sitting patiently the whole time.

"What are you doing?" Naruto questioned but Kaede didn't answer nor did she need to as she grabbed the animal and gently placed him within the bag before she zipped up the bag and marched over to the door. She opened it but before leaving she glanced back at the blond anger burning in her eyes.

"Who said I needed your help." She then left shutting the door behind her and the blond frowning blond. He sighed.

"That stubborn girl."

:)

Naruto sighed his tale nowhere close to finished and despite its incompletion he had no urge to continue reiterating the story. Mayu stared at the blond with a slight bit of wonderment on her face. "We truly are a group of misfits." She said joking however Naruto couldn't help but think that the girl was correct.

:)

Kouta felt himself being dragged by energetic brunette. He mind however kept drifting to the impending rain clouds that loomed over warning them of the ominous rainstorm.

Sadly the couple hadn't found anywhere they could use as shelter before the rainstorm began. water saturated their clothing only causing the two to run faster in order to find somewhere to hide from mother nature.

Luck seemed to be on their side this night because they soon found a small shrine, large enough that the two could easily hide underneath its awning. However while the two were safe from the rest of the rainstorm it didn't help very much with their soaked clothing and the frigid temperatures that were only worsened due to the wetness. And so Kouta and Yuka snuggled together in somewhat intimate hug.

Yuka hugged him tightly slightly happy that she had him to her herself all alone and for moments she content just to be with him... for now at least.

:)

Inevitably dawn began to emerge over the horizon basking all in it's glorious morning rays. Most slept threw this common but still very beautiful event, however one certain pink haired diclonious awoke inside a small metal pod to the sounds of the man she called papa being spoken threw a small cassette player.

:)

Naruto sat beside the pink haired diclonious his eye lids drooped but never truly closed as he watched over the young woman. Mayu had finally went to bed several hours eerily and just before dawn Kouta and Yuka arrived back home with deep crimson blushed tinting their faces. Naruto didn't question the two but he could easily tell that something intimate had occurred.

None the less it didn't really matter as he continued to watch the woman in his be roll. Her labored breathing had begun to return to normal and her fever had broke causing the blond to sigh in relief.

The crack of dawn was made apparent to the blond when he heard the chirping of the native birds outside the window. He snorted in annoyance when he realized he had stayed up all night and knew that he probably need to get some sleep, so he leaned against the wall finally let his eyes droop. The last thing he saw before he let Morpheus take him into his realm, was the gentle and small form of the pink haired queen. A simple but destructive sentence rolled off his tongue signaling the doom of all who had ever come into contact with him. "What's the worse thing that could happen?" and then he fell asleep.

:)

Many hours later in one of the many populated shopping districts of Kamakura stood a familiar short haired diclonious girl. She wore a set of clothes similar to the set she worn when she confronted Lucy; however the bloody torso she had be reduced to seemed to be a thing of imagination as her arms and legs were intact and clearly attached to the young girls body, as long as she kept her concentration.

hours ago the girl had woken up in a metal pod with the voice of her 'papa' being broad casted through a small cassette player. He explained that he was going to be forced to kill her but couldn't bring himself to do it so instead he gave her a set of simplistic set of proxy limbs that she could easily control with her vecters and that he wanted her to escape and be happy in the world.

So the girl heeded her 'papa's' words and did just that however the girl must have had some terrible luck when she found the barrel of a gun pointed at her head. The gun itself belonged to Bando. Through a fairly short fight the man inevitably lost to the girl and his replacement arm was damaged when he fired off the gun.

She left the downed man and inevitably found herself in a food court and her stomach protested in hunger. Sadly the girl couldn't get any of the delectable food since she didn' t have any of the silver coins that many other children had, instead all she had was a bag of useless paper. She sighed and walked towards a familiar grave yard, hoping that if she was lucky she'd find Lucy and She'd be able to get a rematch with the queen and maybe just maybe she'd beat her and take her back to her 'papa' and she'd make him proud of her.


	12. Trauma

The small shadow of some animalistic creature scratched against the wooden frame of the door barking as it tried to let its owner know it wanted to go out.  
It was moments later that a young girl ran into the room with a small black leather leash in hand. "Okay, okay Wanta we'll go for a walk. Hey I'm taking Wanta out for a walk. I'll be back in a couple hours." The girl called.  
A blond stuck his head around the corner, into the room, and stared at the girl with a dim stare. "Okay do try not to get lost Mayu. It's hell finding your way around this crazy town." He warned. Mayu laughed.  
"I'll try Naruto. I'll be back soon." Naruto waved at the girl lazily before walking up the stairs. He opened a door into one of the many small clean rooms. On a futon laid a pink haired woman with small dull horns sprouting from the top of her skull. She slept softly just as she had been for almost two days now. Dread slowly inched up his spine. He sat next to the being noting that her face seemed much more sallow then normal do to her unconsciousness and not being able to eat. He frowned.  
"Okay it seems that you've slipped into a coma, and the herbs should have cleared any minor illnesses you could've contracted so your likely like this because of something psychological." He knew she couldn't hear him, but it made him feel better to talk. He placed his thumbs on her forehead and his remaining fingers on her skull. Light green blue chakra enveloped his hands and his eyes dilated as his world became blurred and turned to blackness before finally clearing to show Kaede's dreams turned nightmares.

:)

Mayu silently cursed as street lamps slowly came to life all around her signaling the arrival of dusk. Wanta barked beside her showing that he was there to protect his master. However this looked cute rather than threatening. Mayu sighed realizing that Naruto would likely chew her out about getting lost before he'd continue to make jokes about it at her expense. The walked around the back streets of the whatever neighborhood the two had managed to lose themselves in. They neared a grave yard when Wanta barked at a light in the distance he tried run towards it despite his leash, startling Mayu and her to lose her grip on the harness.  
"Wanta!" The girl yelled after him but despite this the dog continued to bound away towards the light that was emanating from within the grave yard.  
Nana sighed sadly as the small fire burned, every once in a while she would several more sheets into the fire as fuel to keep it going and to provide her some minuscule form of heat. She glanced at the silhouettes of the tombstones that dotted the grounds. She had hoped that she might find Lucy here but it seemed her luck was very much against her. Despite her senses she couldn't manage to find the queen no matter how hard she strained. "Bark!" She turned to the noise and spotted the small form of a blond pup. He bounded towards and almost as if instinct the pink haired girl held out her hand for be approaching animal. He got close and sniffed it quickly before he began to softly lick the palm of the girl causing her to giggle slightly.  
"Wanta!" A voice yelled out before the person rushed up to the fringes of the open flame. The girl slowed when she saw the giggling girl and her dog. "Oh" the girl said surprised by the sight of the young girl. "Hi" she finished nervously. Nana looked up at the girl pleasantly.  
"Hello" she said quietly her voice sounding slightly light and wispy. Mayu's eyes widened when she saw the pink hair and the small horns but she but her tongue from saying anything. And then she saw it, her eyes widened she remembered this girl, but there was something off about her. She had all her limbs.  
Mayu closed her eyes and silently recited the mantra she had been telling herself. "It was all a dream, it never happened..." She repeated over and over again.  
"What didn't happen?" She heard the girl question from in front of her. Her eyes opened only to the pink shaded eyes of the short haired Diclonious. She jumped in shock falling on her behind.  
"Ow" she whined. The pink haired girl flinched  
"I'm sorry." She said quickly giving her hand out to the girl. Mayu smiled up at her.  
"It's fine" she replied before she took the outstretched hand. She stood up on her feet. "Thanks" she said "hey why are you out here so late?" The pink haired woman sat down next to the fire and gazed into the heat. A grimace mauled her young face showing years of pain and misery.  
"My Papa sent me away." She said sadly. Mayu placed a hand over her mouth and kept back a small gasp. "Oh" she said dumbly before she set next to the pink haired woman. "I ran away from home, my father was...abusive and my mother hated me." She replied before grabbed her knees and held them to her chest.  
Wanta came over the to the girl and rubbed against the girls side as if to comfort her. Nana nodded sadly before she grasped several more sheets of the strange paper and released it into the fire. Mayu's eyes opened dramatically. "What are you doing!" She yelled "your not suppose to burn money!" Nana looked at the girl confused. "What's money?"

:)

Naruto looked around the scene of the class. A smirk came to his face when he realized she was dreaming of the two's school days. He glanced around the room before he almost immediately spotting Kaede amongst the students.  
She was scribbling down the words the teacher was announcing dully at the front of the room.  
Naruto couldn't help but roll his eyes at how nostalgic it felt to be in this room once more even if it was something as annoying as school. He roamed the seats once more and noted his absence and felt a rush of excitement and anxiety. He ran to Kaede's and looked at the top of the page.  
He stumbled back in shock. This was the day that she disappeared and Tomoo and his thugs as well as some girl. He breathed in quickly to calm himself just as the bell rang and the students fled the room leaving the young girl to her own devices. She quickly packed her bag and headed for the door only for an outstretched arm to block her. She sighed when Tomoo stepped around the corner with his two goons stepping in behind him. "Can I just go. I honestly don't want to deal with this today." Kaede said gritting her teeth. Tomoo smirked.  
"Well cow..." He didn't get far before the decked him in the face. He clutched his nose as blood gushed from it. "Grab that bitch." He snarled, and like trained animal did as their master demanded.  
They grabbed her without her even putting up a fight. Tomoo glared at the woman before sadistic grin appeared on his face. He opened his bag and reached in before he pulled something out. Kaede's eyes widened drastically and thrashed around in the two's grasp, Naruto's gaze hardened. Tomoo grasped the dog around his throat before grasping a vase from the shelf.  
Tomoo cackled psychotically before he swung his weapon and the animal whimpered before Tomoo swung again. Kaede stared at him in horror and Naruto clench his fist so hard his fist hard turned white.  
With each strike more and more blood coated and the less that dog whimpered before finally he fell silent. Kaede stared at the boy with horror and unshed tears.  
A girl with dark red hair walked into the room. She covered her mouth in a silent gasp. Kaede looked towards the girl betrayal shining through her eyes.  
"I told you to watch him, but you gave him to them. I thought you were my friend." She exclaimed. The other girl stared blankly at the dog's corpse before she redirected her gaze to Kaede.  
"I did but t-they came in an-and took him. I-I'm so sorry!" The girl replied Kaede turned away from the girl. Naruto however noticed the sadistic smile on the red heads face. Naruto growled, it seemed that Kaede didn't miss the girls grin either because she snapped.  
The event happened so fast that Naruto only barely saw the vectors being released from the girl body and impaling, slicing, and ripping off the body parts until finally the room was covered top to bottom in blood with Kaede standing in the center of the gruesome massacre. Her bangs covered her eyes from view but that didn't stop him from seeming the small tears that streamed down her face. She stepped forward and picked up the dog and slowly made her way towards the door.  
Naruto grit his teeth when he finally realized that all that had led to this moment. The death of the everyone in the this room and the inevitability of Kaede's path had only been cemented by his actions finally Naruto collapsed to his knees and tears falling to the blood stained floor a single sentence flowing through his mind.  
'This is all my fault.'


End file.
